Sacramento Kings Burn Out Against Detroit, Lose 106-90

The Sacramento Kings’ sluggish night ends with a loss to the Detroit Pistons by a score of 106-90. Listed down below is the summary of the game as well as some key notes to take away from the match.

Game Summary

For the Kings, the first quarter was ugly to start as they struggled mightily to put the ball in the bucket. But a late surge by Sacramento, led by Justin Jackson, put them within reach as they trailed Detroit 25-21 to end the period.

In the second, the Kings did a much better job defending the Pistons which led to a tied game at 44 going into halftime.

For most of the third quarter, the game remained close, but then Blake Griffin happened. For Griffin, he suddenly caught fire shooting the ball as he recorded 11 points for the period and put the Pistons back on top 73-66 after three.

Once the fourth quarter began, no energy was left for Sacramento as Detroit dominated. Once the final 12 minutes concluded, the Pistons won in comfortable fashion by a score of 106-90.

Final Thoughts

The Kings were able to keep the game close for the majority of the time, but overall, they did not have a good performance. The young guys were inconsistent, the team collectively shot mediocre from the floor, and there was no answer in stopping Blake Griffin.

Fatigue could have been an issue for the Kings being sluggish tonight, considering the team has played five games in the last seven days. But that is how the NBA schedule can be sometimes for ALL teams and the contest was still in reach for them to come out with the win. Hopefully, the Kings can bounce back Thursday night when they face off against the Atlanta Hawks.

Listed down below are some key takeaways from tonight’s contest.

Key Notes

• Buddy Hield was the best player for the Kings tonight, in my opinion. Throughout the night, he was the go-to guy when it came to scoring as he recorded 20 points while shooting 8-15 from the floor.
• The Kings were unable to stop the dominance of Blake Griffin. For the night, the Pistons’ star recorded 26 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. His biggest impact happened in the third quarter as he recorded 11 points in the period.
• Justin Jackson took another step forward in his development tonight as he recorded 15 points while shooting 7-9 from the floor. He seems to be more comfortable shooting the ball and remains to be effective when scoring in the paint.
• Although he did not score much, Andre Drummond was super effective for his team. For the night, Drummond gave the Kings fits in the paint as he recorded four points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks.
• The Pistons’ bench outscored the Kings bench by a score of 30-26. The second unit for Sacramento usually gives it’s team a spark but was unsuccessful tonight.
• Vince Carter scored seven points for the game which now has him ranked 22nd all-time in NBA career points. Congrats, Vince!