The Detroit Pistons couldn't slow down the Sacramento Kings' big-three at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons fell to the Kings, 127-117, for their second-straight loss and fourth in five games. The Pistons led by 18 points, 66-48, with 4:35 remaining in the first half.
They were outscored by 20 points in the second half, 65-45, thanks to a big performance by Zach LaVine, who scored 30 of his 43 points through the final two periods, including 17 points in the fourth. DeMar DeRozan added 37 points, and Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Pistons (43-36 overall) remain in sixth place and are one game under the Milwaukee Bucks, who they will place twice on Friday and Monday to close out the season.
Tobias Harris (right heel soreness) missed his fifth game out of the Pistons’ last six. Jalen Duren returned after missing one game with a right peroneal contusion.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 35 points, five assists and three steals. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19 points.
Sacramento used a 22-9 run to cut an 18-point Pistons lead to five, 75-70, early in the second half. The Pistons went cold, shooting 40% in the second half while allowing the Kings to shoot 53.1%.
Cunningham not enough
By his own admission, Cunningham was rusty against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday after missing six consecutive games. He scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds but shot just 9-for-24 overall (37.5%).
Monday was a return to form. He got going in the second half, scoring 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting in the third quarter before opening the final period with a floater and 3-pointer, keeping the Pistons in striking distance as LaVine lit them up from 3. His layup with 9:16 remaining cut the deficit to one, 106-105, before the Kings responded with a midrange jumper from DeRozen and 3-pointer from LaVine.
Cunningham had 14 of the Pistons' 23 points in the fourth quarter. In the second half, he shot 8-for-10 overall. Pistons not named Cunningham shot 6-for-25 (24%).
Pistons can’t solve DeRozan, LaVine
LaVine seems to like playing at Little Caesars Arena. He poured 51 points on the Pistons as a member of the Chicago Bulls during their home opener in 2023-24, a game the Pistons won 118-102. This past November, he scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulls to a 122-112 win.
The second half belonged to LaVine on Monday. He scored 16-straight points from the 58 mark of the third quarter through the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with less than a second left in the third to give the Kings a 97-94 lead — their first lead since the end of the first quarter.
