Jaden Ivey’s four-point play caps huge comeback as Pistons rally past free-falling Kings
Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play with 3.1 seconds remaining, capping a huge comeback as the Detroit Pistons rallied for a 114-113 victory over the Kings on Thursday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
De’Aaron Fox scored 26 points for the Kings (13-18), who lost their fifth in a row at home after leading by as many as 19 in the third quarter.
Cade Cunningham scored 33 points for the Pistons (14-17), who have won three in a row.
The Kings will be back in action when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. They have not won a game since Dec. 12.
Sabonis ruled out
The Kings were missing All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis.
Sabonis was listed as questionable due to illness. He was ruled out about two hours before tipoff. Alex Len started in place of Sabonis.
500 club
Fox appeared in his 500th game for the Kings. He became the 12th player in franchise history to play 500 games and the fourth in the Sacramento era, joining Jason Thompson, Peja Stojakovic and Mitch Richmond.
Hot hand
Trey Lyles came off the bench to score 13 consecutive points over a span of 2:40 in the second quarter. Lyles single-handedly fueled a 13-0 run that put the Kings up 52-36.
Fourth-quarter collapse
Detroit made 7 of 12 from 3-point range while outscoring Sacramento 37-22 in the fourth quarter. The Kings were outscored 31-15 over the final 7:12.
Good to go
Rookie guard Devin Carter was cleared for unrestricted basketball activities Thursday after undergoing left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in July.
Carter, the 13th pick in June’s NBA draft, will likely spend time with the G League Stockton Kings as he ramps up toward his eventual debut for Sacramento.
“No expectations from the standpoint of he should be here by this day or that day,” Brown said. “I just want him to go ball and have fun. He’s a rookie, and being a rookie, getting a taste of what it’s like to play at any professional level can be a daunting task. ... I just want him to have fun, hoop freely and be ready whenever your number is called for Stockton or Sacramento.”
Up next
The Kings will face the Lakers for the third time in 10 days Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers beat the Kings twice in Sacramento last week, winning 113-100 on Dec. 19 and 103-99 on Dec. 21. The Lakers also defeated the Kings earlier this season, posting a 131-127 win Oct. 26 in Los Angeles.
Upcoming schedule
Dec. 28 at Los Angeles Lakers
Dec. 30 vs. Dallas Mavericks
Jan. 1 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Jan. 3 vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Jan. 5 at Golden State Warriors
This story was originally published December 26, 2024 at 10:04 PM.
