National Basketball Association
Detroit 114, Sacramento 113
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 26, 2024
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #70 Phenizee Ransom, #44 Brett Nansel
Attendance: 17832

Jaden Ivey connected on a 3-pointer while being fouled with 3.1 seconds remaining and dropped in the free throw as the Detroit Pistons rallied for an improbable 114-113 road win over the reeling Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.

Having surged from 10 points down in the final 2:41, the Pistons had the ball after two free throws by Kevin Huerter had extended Sacramento's lead back to three points at 113-110 with 10.8 seconds left.

After a timeout, the ball went to Ivey, who somehow drilled a 23-footer while getting fouled by De'Aaron Fox. A referee's review confirmed the call, and Ivey calmly hit his deciding free throw.

Without a timeout, the best the Kings could do in the final seconds was a 50-foot heave by Fox that was off the mark.

Detroit won its third straight to open a four-game Western swing that ends Saturday at Denver. Sacramento dropped its fifth straight, all at home.

A 3-pointer by Fox seemed to put the Kings in command at 107-97 with 3:36 to play, but the Pistons got two 3-pointers from Malik Beasley sandwiching a layup by Cade Cunningham in an eight-point flurry that closed the gap to two with still 1:28 to go.

DeMar DeRozan stopped the bleeding for the Kings with a floater in the lane with 1:16 left.

Cunningham led all scorers with 33 points to go with 10 assists. He reached 30 points for the fourth time this season.

Riding the strength of six 3-pointers, Beasley finished with 22 points, while Ivey had 19 and Jalen Duren 13 along with 10 rebounds.

Fox led Sacramento with 26 points, Trey Lyles took advantage of increased playing time to score a season-best 20, and DeRozan rebounded from a recent slump with 19 for the Kings. Sacramento was without Domantas Sabonis due to an illness.

Keegan Murray put added 11 points and 12 boards for Sacramento, while Malik Monk chipped in with 15 points.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Sacramento
Cade Cunningham 33 Scoring De'Aaron Fox 26
Cade Cunningham 10 Assists DeMar DeRozan 4
Jalen Duren 10 Rebounds Keegan Murray 12
Cade Cunningham 11 Free Throws Made Trey Lyles 6
Jalen Duren 2 Steals Kevin Huerter 1
Jalen Duren 2 Blocks De'Aaron Fox 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 114 41.8 17-44 21-25 25 44 4 6 10
Sacramento 113 47.6 14-39 21-26 20 44 6 3 14
Upcoming Games
  • Sacramento will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Kings have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .444 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Pistons have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .588 after a loss.