The Detroit Pistons chased the Sacramento Kings out for most of the 48 minutes Thursday night, mustering out and outscoring in a strong 113-101 victory. After the first quarter in which Detroit was four, it was from then on pretty much all Pistons. Detroit took over the Kings in the second quarter with a pack of 35-21 beats. The Kings would play a draw within late seven, but Detroit’s hold on the game was never in doubt.
Seven Pistons scored in double figures, led by Cory Joseph’s 24. Cory, who happened to get the starting nod against his former team, did a bit of everything and definitely set the tone and moved the needle for the Pistons into this one.
Even more impressive were rookies Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart, as both looked like experienced veterans. Hayes ran the offense smoothly, yet aggressively looking for his own opportunities with five field goals, including a setback and a variety of drivers. Hayes finished the game with a career high of 11 points and, more importantly, looks more and more comfortable on the floor.
Meanwhile, Stewart scored 16 and grabbed 13 rebounds, while also hitting in four cents. Stewart, who got the start for the concussion Mason Plumlee, played 33 rock-solid minutes.
Sekou Doumbouya is showing more and more signs of basketball growth. He only played 13 minutes, but he was always in the middle of the action and showed great interest in attacking the ring rather than arranging the outside shot. That said, Sekou did drill his only 3-ball. He knew it was going in when it left his fingers.
Although the Pistons were easily the better team on both sides tonight, the Kings did themselves no favors with indifferent defense and mostly selfish tackles from the perimeter. The Kings shot 7-for-30 from downtown – that’s a sub-24 percentage point. Most Kings seemed disinterested in playing organized basketball against the Pistons. They have now lost five in a row, having won just five in a row.
The Pistons will face the explosive Portland Trailblazers – the current sixth seed in the Western Conference – on Saturday night at 22:00 EST.