Pistons Beat Struggling Kings 95-90
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Greg Monroe scored 24 points, Josh Smith had 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Sacramento Kings 95-90 on Saturday night for their second straight victory.
The Pistons used a 24-14 advantage in the third quarter and never relinquished the lead in registering back-to-back wins for only the second time all season.
Detroit had lost 13 straight and was one loss shy of tying the franchise record before beating Phoenix on Friday.
Rudy Gay made four 3-pointers and scored 20, and also added eight rebounds and eight assists for the Kings. Carl Landry had 15 points and Ben McLemore 14 for Sacramento, who has dropped three straight and eight of 10.
Andre Drummond had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Singler added 11 points for Detroit.
Sacramento remains without leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins, who missed his ninth straight game with viral meningitis. The Kings have gone 2-7 without Cousins, who has no timetable for a return.
With the Pistons clinging to a four-point lead, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer and DJ Augustin made two free throws to make it 88-79 with 34 seconds remaining. Consecutive 3-pointers by McLemore cut the lead to three points, but Monroe had a breakaway dunk to help seal the victory.
The Pistons spread the ball around offensively in the second half and played effectively on defense against the cold-shooting Kings, who shot 35 percent.
Detroit trailed by three points before scoring 11 unanswered to start the third quarter. The Kings missed their first nine shots and went scoreless for more than 4 1/2 minutes. Despite a 13-0 run later in the period, Detroit only led 67-60 entering the fourth.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
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