The Kings came out with the authority they’ve been so desperately needing.
The Sacramento Kings were starving to get back in the win column, and claimed their first victory after a four-game losing slide blowing out the Detroit Pistons 129-107 on Monday night.
It was a busy day in the Kingdom, with rumors of coach Luke Walton being on the hot seat, and after blowing the start to the soft part of the schedule, there was much pressure for this team — both staff and players — to perform at their highest level.
Buddy Hield led the way offensively serving up 22 points on shooting 6-10 from beyond the arc. Richaun Holmes also garnered another strong showout with 19 points and 9 rebounds along with De’Aaron Fox’s 19 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Tyrese Haliburton also notched his first double-double on the season with 17 points and 10 dishes.
Chimezie Metu earned his second start over Moe Harkless tonight; alongside Fox, Haliburton, Holmes and Harrison Barnes.
The Kings were able to manage the Pistons’ anemic offense which ranks 30th league-wide at 97.6. It was an opportunity for defense to shine, where were saw Sacramento collect 47 rebounds, 11 steals and 5 blocks on the night.
Marvin Bagley III made his first appearance in a game since the second game of the season, after declining to play vs. the Phoenix Suns on November 8 in a blowout loss. Bagley contributed 7 points, 3 rebound, 1 block and shot 3-9 from the field through 17 minutes of play.
In terms of what this win shows us about the team, nothing could really be deemed a revelation by any means, as the bar seems to be on the floor in terms of competition. Although Kings fans have the mindset that no team is automatically going to fall into the win column, this was a victory that was not only an expectation, but a requirement before falling into complete chaos just fifteen games into the season.