Zach LaVine Makes Sacramento Kings History vs Pistons

In fact, LaVine made history a second time on Monday night. In the game against the Pistons, LaVine also set a franchise record for the most games with 40 or more points and 8 or more made threes. Considering he has only played 29 games for the Kings, this is quite an impressive feat.

It would seem that LaVine really enjoys playing in Detroit against the Pistons. Back in October 2023, he scored a career-high 51 points at the Little Caesars Arena.

LaVine took over the game in the third quarter and early in the fourth. One particular stretch saw LaVine score 16 consecutive Kings points. During the run, LaVine was hitting everything, including multiple highly contested shots. The Pistons tried several defenders, but no one could slow him down as his shots just kept falling.

After a tough stretch of games that saw LaVine struggle with his shot, he has turned it around over the last three games to average 35 points per contest. LaVine has ramped up his aggressiveness on the offensive end and is looking for his shot more and more, and the results have been incredible for the Kings’ offense.

In the same stretch of three games, the Kings have also gotten big-time production from Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan added 37 points for the Kings against Detroit, and Sabonis chipped in with his tenth triple-double of the season. 

One aspect of the Kings’ victory that should not be overlooked is the excellent defense they played in the second half. After allowing the Pistons to score 72 points in the first half, they held Detroit to just 45 points in the second half. 

Considering the Kings did this without one of their best defenders in forward Keegan Murray, it’s even more impressive. The Kings were also missing Jake LaRavia and lost guard Malik Monk to an injury early in this game. 

The balanced attack and increased defensive intensity are the biggest reasons why the Kings have won three consecutive road games. This comes after starting their final road trip of the season 0-3 including a loss to the lowly Washington Wizards. 

The Kings return home for the final three games of the regular season, starting on Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets. One more victory or one loss by the Phoenix Suns will clinch a spot in the play-in tournament for the Sacramento Kings. 

The Kings are all but locked in to the No.9 versus No.10 play-in game, but are still playing for home court advantage in that game, likely against the Dallas Mavericks. Sacramento currently has a one game lead on the Mavericks for the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings.