Rodney Stuckey scores 17 as Pistons beat the Kings 100-94
All was not well for the Detroit Pistons at the start of the season and they were looking down the barrel after losing five in a row. Since then the Pistons have bounced back with ferocity as they trounced the Sacramento Kings 100-94 to romp to their fourth
victory in the last five games.
Rodney Stuckey nailed 17 points and Ben Gordon hit a crucial 3-pointer in the dying seconds as the Pistons kept their nerves to outshine the Sacramento Kings down the stretch sending them to their fifth straight loss.
The match started with the Kings taking an early four point lead. A Rodney Stuckey layup shot with 8:47 to go in the first quarter gave Pistons the lead, one they never relinquished, as the Kings were forced to play the catch-up game.
The Kings entered the second quarter facing a deficit of three points at 22-19 but they pegged the Pistons back somewhat as a Jason Thompson hook shot brought it to 30-31 to make it a one point game.
The Pistons bounced back immediately as they reeled off a 13-5 spurt to extend their advantage to nine points at 44-35, their biggest of the match. The Kings rallied back though to make it 45-40 as the teams went into the break.
The Sacramento Kings struggled on the field shooting at just 40 percent in the first half. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons were hitting the pace at above 50 percent.
Tayshaun Prince opened the second half with a jump shot to extend Detroit’s advantage to seven points. However, the Kings scored six straight points within 25 seconds to again come within striking distance.
Both the teams showcased some exhilarating basketball in the third quarter with the Kings vociferously chasing Piston’s lead. Detroit though managed to slip away every time as Tracy McGrady pulled up a jump shot to take Detroit into the final quarter leading
by three.
The final quarter started with Charlie Villanueva pinning a jump shot and then slipped in a three pointer to turn the heat on the Kings. The Kings showed some fight as they sprinted to a 10-2 run to make the matters even at 82 all with 7:47 left on the clock.
While the kings were struggling to make three pointers, Ben Gordon was letting it rip.
He first made a vital three point shot to give the Pistons an 89-86 lead with 6:03 left to keep the Kings at bay and then nailed another one with 23.9 seconds left to effectively take the game out of Sacramento’s reach as Rodney Stuckey converted a free
throw to seal a 100-94 win for the Pistons.
Rodney Stuckey led the offensive for Detroit. Ben Gordon scored 16 points and more importantly gave the Pistons impetus at crucial junctures of the game. Richard Hamilton had 14 points and Tayshaun Prince netted 13 while Charlie Villanueva came off the bench
to score 11 points with 9 of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Tyreke Evans led the charge for the Kings with 20 points while Carl Landry chipped in with 19 points and 7 rebounds.
Tags: