The Detroit Pistons hope to extend their success on the road when they aim for a third consecutive away victory on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings.
Last season, the Pistons were the team with the most losses, and their schedule didn’t get any easier when they faced a four-game Western road trip during Christmas. The teams they played — the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Kings, and Denver Nuggets — all finished with winning records last season.
However, the Pistons, who had lost their last home game to the Utah Jazz, pulled off wins against the Suns (133-125) and the Lakers (117-114) as they spent a California Christmas without snow.
Now, they will face the Kings, who have struggled on their five-game homestand, losing their first four games, including a 122-95 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
The Pistons’ success has come from a team effort. Jaden Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, and Simone Fontecchio all scored in double figures in both wins. Jalen Duren had a double-double in Phoenix (17 points, 11 rebounds), and Ronald Holland II added 10 points in Los Angeles.
However, as Detroit owner Tom Gores observed during the win against the Lakers, everything revolves around Cade Cunningham. Cunningham scored 28 points and had 13 assists against the Suns and followed it up with 20 points and 10 assists against the Lakers.
“Our young men are performing well,” Gores said. “They’re really stepping up to what Pistons basketball is about. We’re watching all of our young men. Cade is just evolving into the leader he’s always been. So I’m very proud of that.”
The Pistons may face a tough crowd in Sacramento, but it could be one that is frustrated with the Kings. The team received rare boos from their home crowd after their worst loss of the season, a 122-95 defeat to the Pacers.
Sacramento guard/forward Kevin Huerter admitted that the boos were deserved.
“You never want to get booed at home, but we probably deserve it,” Huerter said. “We just lost three in a row, and then you get beat by 30 on your home court during Christmas time. They (the fans) deserve better.”
Kings fans are hoping for better offense. Sacramento had averaged 120.6 points in 10 games — going 5-5 — before scoring just 100, 99, and 95 points in their last three losses, the first two of which came against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Malik Monk, in particular, has struggled recently. He’s made only 6 of 27 3-pointers in the last three games. DeMar DeRozan has also had a tough stretch, averaging just 8.0 points on 9-for-30 shooting.
Monk stressed that the team needs to focus on playing together rather than looking for individual success.
“That (expletive) is just embarrassing,” Monk said about their offensive play. “Once we take one-pass, zero-pass shots, miss, they get a long rebound, go out in transition. Now, all our heads are down. So it’s just not playing offense the right way, not moving the ball.”
