Pistons 99, Kings 89: Josh Smith had 24 points and eight rebounds and Detroit showed rare defensive chops in a win over visiting Sacramento.

Rodney Stuckey added 23 points off the bench for the Pistons, who won for just the third time in the last 13 games. Detroit came into the game having allowed an average of 110 points over its previous 10 games, but held Sacramento to 40.5 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc.

Rudy Gay had 20 points to lead the Kings, who dropped their third straight game to fall to 1-3 on their seven-game road trip. Isaiah Thomas added 19 points and eight assists while DeMarcus Cousins had 13 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Thomas' 10 first-quarter points helped the Kings go up early, then fend off a Detroit surge late in the period to lead 31-28 after one. While the second quarter belonged to Stuckey, who racked up 10 points in the frame, it was Thomas' short jumper as part of a three-point play with 15 seconds remaining that gave Sacramento a 54-52 edge going into the intermission.

The Kings' offense labored coming out of the break, and the Pistons did just enough to take advantage - getting a pair of 3-pointers from Smith and one from Brandon Jennings while limiting Sacramento to 11 points in the third quarter en route to a 72-65 lead. That was as close as the Kings would get, as Stuckey and Singler buried 3-pointers in the first 3:15 of the final quarter and Bynum hit a driving layup with 2:12 remaining after Sacramento had mounted a late charge.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The teams combined for just seven points over the final six-plus minutes of the third quarter, with Gay and Smith converting the only field goals in that span. ... Jennings' third-quarter 3-pointer was his only field goal of the night; he finished with just five points on 1-of-10 from the floor. ... Sacramento won the rebounding battle 50-47.