With a chance to reach .500 for the first time since Dec. 4, 2006, and win a fourth consecutive game, the Kings fell apart when it mattered most.
The late stretch was full of frustrations for the Kings in their 100-92 loss to Detroit on Tuesday night at Arco Arena.
The Kings turned the ball over five times in the final seven minutes under the pressure of the Pistons' defense.
With Detroit behind by one and 9:30 remaining, newest Piston Allen Iverson hit a three-pointer from the left corner to start a 19-10 run to finish the game. Iverson, who was traded from Denver last week, had 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting. The Kings were led by Spencer Hawes’ 19 points.
Kings rookie Jason Thompson started at the small forward spot because of Kevin Martin’s ankle injury and produced 15 points and nine rebounds in his first career start. John Salmons filled Martin’s shooting guard position and hit just
4 of 12 shots.
The Kings’ start was their best of the season, as they hit six of their first seven shots while Detroit hit just one of its first nine. Thompson’s first points as a starter capped the early outburst, as his nine-foot hook shot put the Kings ahead 14-2 less than five minutes in.
By quarter’s end, the Kings’ 31-18 lead was built on their own sharpshooting (14 of 24) and a cold Pistons start (7 of 23).
But while the vaunted Detroit defense isn’t what it once was, the Pistons did show glimpses of dominance in the second quarter. Reserve guard Will Bynum was assigned to Beno Udrih, and his end-to-end pestering ways helped agitate the Kings’ offense into 8-of-22 second-quarter shooting. Meanwhile, Iverson heated up to scored 10 of his 30 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Detroit tied it 50-50 at halftime.
Hawes continued to produce off the bench, but his torrid pace (13 points in eight first-half minutes) was stymied by his foul trouble (three in that span).
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