The losing streak is over, for now. After losing their last five games, the Sacramento Kings were able to leave the Motor City with a win by a score of 109-104.
Top performers tonight wearing purple were DeMarcus Cousins who recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists, Ty Lawson who recorded 19 points and 6 assists, and Willie Cauley-Stein who recorded 12 points and 5 rebounds.
There was a lot to take away from tonight’s contest, but in my opinion, there were three notes that stood out in front of the rest. With that being said, listed down below are my three takeaways from tonight’s game.
Scoring Production
Since Rudy Gay ruptured his Achilles last week, the Kings needed to find another player aside from DeMarcus Cousins who can step up and carry the offensive load. The Kings ended up having five players take on that challenge tonight.
It’s close to inevitable that Boogie is going to have a dominant outing for the Kings, but he had help in today’s game where five other players wearing purple ended the game recording 10 or more points for the night. Darren Collison, Garrett Temple, Willie Cauley-Stein, Matt Barnes, and Ty Lawson were those players.
Although it is still a question mark on who is going to be the second scoring option for the Kings going forward, it was nice to see the offense tonight put together an all-around performance offensively.
Slow Starts/Defense
The Kings continue to play catch up as they allowed the Detroit Pistons to score a whopping 38 points in the first quarter. The Kings also allowed the Pistons, who are ranked 24th in the league in points scored per game, to score 104 points for the night while shooting 50% from the floor, 35.7% from the perimeter, and 70.6% from the free-throw line.
This notorious trend isn’t new for the Kings. They continue to either have their opponents start games strong, have season-high performances on offense, or both. In order for Sacramento to have success going forward, their defense must buckle down. Once the Kings’ defense becomes consistent, then the team as a whole will become consistent. And when the team becomes consistent, it will translate into more wins.
Ty Lawson’s Emergence
Ty Lawson ended tonight’s game putting up another efficient outing as he recorded 19 points and 6 assists off the bench. In the last couple of weeks, Lawson has showcased his full potential as a player. In the month January, Lawson has been one of the Kings best players as he is averaging 12.1 points and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 45.7% from the floor.
With the emergence of Lawson, Dave Joerger may have difficult decision pertaining to the starting lineup. Darren Collison, the Kings’ current starting point guard, hasn’t been himself this season in terms of offensive production. There is a good argument made that maybe Joerger should be starting Lawson in games while Collison comes off the bench. To express your thoughts on the issue, feel free to partake in our survey listed below.
Is it time for the Kings to put Lawson in the starting lineup and Collison w/ the second unit?
— A Royal Pain (@ARoyalPain) January 24, 2017
Final Thoughts
Sacramento entered this game with a five-game losing streak, and considering that the purple and white have Cleveland waiting for them on Wednesday, this victory was greatly needed for the Kings. Like I mentioned above, the Kings’ next contest will be in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. Can tonight’s win boost the momentum for Sacramento and have them complete the upset?