Pistons hold off Kings a year after starting their spiral into chaos

Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee on Dec 24, 2025

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The Detroit Pistons essentially brought on the end of an era in Sacramento last season when they rallied from a 19-point third quarter deficit to beat the Kings on Jaden Ivey’s four-point play with 3.1 seconds remaining.

The loss capped a winless five-game homestand for the Kings. Coach Mike Brown was fired a day later, setting the wheels in motion for the trade that sent De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs while bringing Zach LaVine to Sacramento.

The Pistons returned Tuesday to see what the Kings have become amid the fallout as they struggle through what could be one of the worst seasons in team history.

Tobias Harris scored 24 points to lead the Pistons to a 136-127 victory over the Kings before an announced sellout crowd of 17,832 at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings came back from a 24-point deficit to get within seven in the final minute, but they couldn’t get any closer.

“We showed some fight in the fourth quarter,” Kings rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford said. “Unfortunate that it was that late in the game, making a run, so we’ve got to put together two halves. That’s the story of the season, I think, so it’s something to learn from.”

Cade Cunningham had 23 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists for the Pistons (24-6), who sit atop the Eastern Conference with a three-game lead over the New York Knicks. Jalen Duren had 23 points and 13 rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 37 points for the Kings (7-23), who have the worst record in the Western Conference.

Russell Westbrook had 27 points, six rebounds and four assists. Precious Achiuwa recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Clifford came off the bench to score 14 points.

Halftime report

The Kings only trailed by two midway through the opening period despite going 5 of 13 from the field over the first six minutes of the game. It wasn’t long before the Pistons staged a 14-4 run to open up a 12-point lead.

Detroit led 37-24 at the end of the first quarter. The Pistons shot 64% from the field while holding the Kings to 33.3%. The Kings went 8 of 24 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range in the first 12 minutes.

The Pistons went up by 16 early in the second quarter. They led by as many as 19 before Kings coach Doug Christie turned to Malik Monk in search of a spark with 6:39 to play in the opening half.

Monk received a huge ovation from the crowd as he checked in after being benched in recent games. He scored five points in his first two minutes as the Kings cut the deficit to 14, but the Pistons responded with a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 24 points.

Detroit went into the halftime break with a 75-58 advantage. The Pistons shot 62% while holding the Kings to 42.2% shooting. They outscored the Kings 44-24 on points in the paint and 21-4 on fastbreak points.

Second-half summary

Clifford started the second half in place of Keegan Murray, who left the game after suffering a right calf injury.

Sacramento cut the deficit to 11 after outscoring Detroit 10-4 to start the second half. The Kings continued to battle, but they couldn’t get any closer.

The Pistons led 115-97 at the end of the third quarter.

The Kings came back to cut the deficit to 10 on a jumper by Clifford with 3:39 to play in the fourth. They got within nine on a three-point play by DeRozan and cut Detroit’s lead to eight on a free throw by Westbrook with 58.3 seconds.

Sacramento cut the deficit to seven on a basket by Westbrook with 26.4 seconds to go, but by then it was too late.

Up next

The Kings will have three days off before they conclude a four-game homestand against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.

The Mavericks (11-19) had lost two in a row going into Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. They will visit the Golden State Warriors on Thursday before coming to Sacramento.

Anthony Davis has appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 21.0 points and 11.6 rebounds. Rookie Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, is averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

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