What we learned as DeMar DeRozan's 37 points can't push Kings past Pistons

What we learned as DeMar DeRozan’s 37 points can’t push Kings past Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Two days ago, the Kings had Golden 1 Center rocking with a thrilling overtime win.

Two days before Christmas, the venue was the same — but the noise was mostly muted and the outcome was basically a lump of coal.

Not only did the Kings get smacked around handily by the Detroit Pistons 136-127 on Tuesday, they also saw another front-line player go down when Keegan Murray left the game in the second half after injuring his calf.

Murmurs also swirled throughout the night about Malik Monk being available in trade talks, a cloud that will most definitely linger overhead until a deal is done or the deadline passes Feb. 5.

Where the Kings are at that point likely will determine what, if any, other moves the franchise makes.

The way Sacramento looked against Detroit, no one’s job should be safe. That includes coach Doug Christie, whose style hasn’t produced any lasting or impactful moments.

DeMar DeRozan had 37 points and eight assists for the good guys. Russell Westbrook added 27 points and six rebounds while Precious Achiuwa had 15 points and 11 boards.

The Kings fell to 7-23 on the 2025-26 NBA season. They have lost six of seven, 10 of 14 and 17 of 21.

The Pistons took control early, dropping 37 points in the first quarter to take a double-digit lead. DeRozan scored 23 points in the first half but it wasn’t enough to overcome Detroit, which led 75-58 at the break,

Sacramento got within 15 early in the third quarter then pulled within 129-120 with 3:10 remaining in the fourth following DeRozan’s three-point play, but couldn’t muster another comeback.

Here are the takeaways from Tuesday:

Monk On The Move?

The loudest cheers from the Golden 1 Center crowd happened midway through the second quarter when Monk walked to the scorer’s table to check in.

The ninth-year veteran made his first bucket less than two minutes into his first stint then drained a 3-pointer after that as chanting monks played over the loudspeakers. That had been a tradition at G1C but was noticeably absent in the previous few games.

Monk, who had nine points in 14 minutes, has been a fan favorite in Sacramento ever since his arrival during the 2022-23 season, but there might have been more meaning to the ovations this time.

Minutes before tip-off a report from NBA Insider Chris Haynes surfaced that Monk has been made available for trade by the Kings, which if true certainly is no surprise.

Drowning From Deep

For a team that has mixed success shooting from deep over the season, the Kings seemed fascinated with trying to make things happen behind the arc against the Pistons.

That, like a lot of everything Sacramento tried, didn’t work out so well.

The Kings, who shot 29 percent (24-for-82) on threes in their previous three games, sputtered with their 3-point shooting for much of the night. They missed nine of their first 10 tries behind the arc and 13 of their first 18.

The struggles from deep took away what actually had been a decent shooting night for the Kings. They shot 31 of 59 on two-pointers.

Achiuwa was one of the few Sacramento players to have any sort of like shooting deep, connecting on 3 of 4 attempted threes.

No D At G1C

The Kings had a fairly decent night offensively, but this game turned on Sacramento’s inability to make consistent stops on the other end.

Time and time again the Pistons drove to the rack with very little resistance all game and nearly doubled the Kings’ scoring in the paint.

With Domantas Sabonis and Andrew Eubanks both injured, the bulk of the Kings’ interior defense was absent. Rookie Maxime Raynaud, who has been playing very well as of late, had eight points.

The defensive breakdowns weren’t limited to the big men. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham made seven of his first 10 shots and put up 16 points in the first half, many of them uncontested. He finished with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting.

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What we learned as DeMar DeRozan’s 37 points can’t push Kings past Pistons

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