Detroit Pistons

2024-02-07

Jaden Ivey scores career-high 37, leads shorthanded Detroit Pistons to upset at Kings

Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Pistons, thanks to injuries and Thursday’s trade deadline, were as shorthanded as they’ve been all season.

Cade Cunningham missed his 10th game since Jan. 9 as he continues to recover from a left knee strain. Bojan Bogdanovic sat out with left calf soreness. Isaiah Stewart missed his fourth straight game with ankle soreness. Monte Morris and Kevin Knox, who were traded Wednesday, weren’t available.

But that didn't matter.

The Pistons (7-43) pulled off their most impressive win of the season, defeating the Sacramento Kings on the road, 133-120. Jaden Ivey played one of the best games of his career, scoring a career-high 37 points and a series of clutch buckets late to retake control of the game. He also had seven assists, six rebounds and five turnovers.

Alec Burks (25 points), Jalen Duren (20 points, 15 rebounds, six assists), Marcus Sasser (18 points) and Ausar Thompson (12 points, six rebounds, two steals) also reached double-figures in scoring. Domantas Sabonis led Sacramento with 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Malik Monk added 23 points and 10 assists. De’Aaron Fox had a quiet night with 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

Detroit used a 19-5 run to turn a five-point deficit late in the second quarter to a nine-point lead early in the third. They led by as many as 15 in the period, before the Kings caught fire at the end of it and took the lead, 99-97, thanks to a buzzer-beating 3 by Sabonis.

It set up an Ivey masterclass in the fourth quarter, as he tied the game early in the fourth with a pair of layups before knocking down two 3-pointers while Sacramento went cold, giving Detroit the lead for good at the 8:12 mark.

Ivey erupts in fourth quarter

The second-year guard scored 19 of his 37 points in the final period and made all six of his shot attempts, including three 3-pointers. He also delivered the game-clinching assists to Burks and Sasser, who knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to extend Detroit’s lead to 127-118 with just under two minutes remaining.

Sacramento didn’t have an answer for Ivey, who cut through their defense with his speed and punished defenders who gave him too much space on the perimeter. Ivey scored 26 of his 37 points in the second half, shaking off a rough first half in which he shot just 4-for-11. In a game with two All-Stars in Sabonis and Fox, Ivey was the best player on the floor.

He led a dominant quarter for the Pistons, who outscored the Kings, 36-21, while shooting 11-for-16 overall as a team. Burks also had a strong fourth, with 12 points and the game-clinching 3-pointer and four free throws in the final 2 minutes.

Hayes promoted to starting lineup after DNPs

The fourth-year guard was a healthy scratch in Detroit’s previous three games, with Morris back from injury and Sasser shooting the ball well. With Cunningham and Morris out, Monty Williams turned to Hayes, started for the first time since Jan. 28.

Hayes responded, with eight points and nine assists in 28 minutes. He only had one turnover as well, on a night the Pistons committed just 11. He sat the entire fourth quarter, as Williams stuck with the three-guard lineup of Ivey, Burks and Sasser.

It’s unclear if Cunningham will return for Thursday’s game in Portland. If not, Hayes’ energy could be an asset for the Pistons for the second night in a row.

Next up: Trail Blazers

Matchup: Pistons (7-43) at Portland (15-35).

Tipoff: 10 p.m. Thursday; Moda Center, Portland, Oregon.

TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).