FINAL (Pistons 101, Kings 89)
The Kings (18-39) dropped their fifth straight game by allowing a bad-shooting team to shoot 58.4 percent. Richard Hamilton finished with 30 points for Detroit (21-35). Tayshaun Prince added 22.
Tyreke Evans had 28 points and a career-high 13 assists in the loss for Sacramento. Carl Landry had 18 points and was the only other King to score in double figures.
It doesn't get any easier Friday at Arco for the Kings with the Utah Jazz in town. Utah has been the hottest team in the league over the last month.
--Jason Jones
THIRD QUARTER (Pistons 83, Kings 58)
There are new players, but one thing hasn't changed: The Kings do not play good defense.
The third, in which the Pistons proceed to rout the Kings, was the latest example.
The Pistons made 13 of 20 shots in the third, and are shooting 60 percent for the game. Richard Hamilton is getting uncontested jump shots with regularity and has 25 points, 14 coming in the third.
The Pistons shoot 43.6 percent on the season, third worst in the NBA.
Tyreke Evans has 16 points and nine assists for the Kings.
--Jason Jones
SECOND QUARTER (Pistons 54, Kings 42)
After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, the Kings reserves chipped away at the deficit and even led for a short time in the second quarter. But a 9-0 Pistons runs ended all that, with Charlie Villanueva hitting a three-pointer and a short range look in that span. The Kings ended on the worst of notes, with Rodney Stuckey allowed to race to the rim off an inbounds play and hit the layup with less than one second left.
The Kings are shooting just 39.5 percent, with only Tyreke Evans scoring in double figures so far (12 points). The Pistons have received a combined 33 points from Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey.
- Sam Amick
FIRST QUARTER (Pistons 29, Kings 26)
The Kings finished the quarter on a 15-4 run after another lackluster start, with the unit of Tyreke Evans, Andres Nocioni, Beno Udrih, Ime Udoka and Sean May doing the damage.
Nocioni's finger-roll layup with 0.8 seconds capped the run.
On a side note, third-year center Spencer Hawes is inactive tonight, with coach Paul Westphal clearly not pleased with his comments in today's Bee story about the team's inconsistent rotations. Asked about Hawes being inactive, Wespthal told The Bee's Jason Jones, "I saw where he's having a hard time understanding his role. He should understand it tonight."
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