Zach LaVine catches fire again as Sacramento Kings rally past Pistons (2025)

The Sacramento Kings are on the verge of clinching a play-in spot after getting another incredible performance from Zach LaVine.

LaVine scored a season-high 43 points to lead the Kings to a 127-117 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday at Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

The Kings were playing on the second night of a back-to-back 24 hours after upsetting the Cleveland Cavaliers. They trailed by as many as 18 in the final game of a grueling six-game road trip, but in an impressive show of resiliency they rallied past the Pistons behind big games by LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis.

DeRozan scored 37 points for the Kings (39-40), who can clinch a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament with one more win or one loss by the Phoenix Suns.

“It’s big,” DeRozan told NBC Sports California. “We started off the road trip terrible. We know we’re fighting for our lives right now and every single game counts. We’ve got to play every single one of these games like it’s a playoff game, and we came in with that mentality.”

Sabonis posted a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Cade Cunningham scored 35 points to lead the Pistons (43-36). Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19.

LaVine went 16 of 28 from the field and 8 of 11 from 3-point range, helping the Kings shoot 51.6% overall and 40.7% from beyond the arc.

Sacramento was shorthanded with forwards Keegan Murray (back soreness) and Jake LaRavia (left thumb bone contusion) out due to injuries. They lost another key player when Malik Monk went down with a left calf injury. Monk left the game with 1:48 to play in the first period and did not return.

The Kings will be back in action Wednesday when they play host to the Denver Nuggets.

Halftime report

Both teams came out firing in a fast-paced first quarter that featured five ties and three lead changes. The Kings led 38-37 after outrebounding the Pistons 17-5 with an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points. LaVine and DeRozan combined for 21 points while Valanciunas came off the bench to post six points and nine rebounds in 3:50.

The Pistons outscored the Kings 11-1 to start the second quarter. They went up 48-39 on a layup by Ausar Thompson and took a 66-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Tim Hardaway Jr.

Sacramento came back to cut the deficit to eight after going to a small-ball lineup of Keon Ellis, Devin Carter, LaVine, DeRozan and Sabonis. The Kings trailed 72-62 at the half after getting outscored 16-0 in points off turnovers.

Second half

The Kings cut the deficit to five early in the second half. They got within two on a basket by Sabonis with 4:23 to play in the third quarter, tied the game on a driving layup by LaVine in the final minute and took a 97-94 lead on a 3-pointer by LaVine with 0.4 seconds remaining.

LaVine scored 13 points in the third period and he didn’t stop there, scoring nine more in the first 1:46 of the fourth quarter. The Kings went up 111-105 on a 3-pointer by LaVine with 8:28 to go.

The Pistons came back to get within one on a basket by Ronald Holland II with 5:43 remaining. Back-to-back baskets by DeRozan sparked a decisive 9-0 run that put the Kings up 122-112 with 2:17 to play.

Up next

The Kings will begin a season-ending three-game homestand when they play host to the Nuggets on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.

The Nuggets (47-32) have lost four in a row despite some monster performances from three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who averaged 45.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.7 assists over that stretch.

This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 7:07 PM.