Kings suffer 4th quarter meltdown, extend losing streak to five games

Dec 26, 2024, 10:08 PM | Updated: 10:29 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 26: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings goes up for a shot on...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Each passing game establishes a new rock bottom for the Sacramento Kings.

On a night when Sacramento led by as many as 19 points—including a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter—the Kings suffered their latest gut punch on Thursday, falling 114-113 to the Detroit Pistons at Golden 1 Center.

Boos rained down onto the floor at the end of regulation after a stunning four-point play by Pistons guard Jaden Ivey erased a late three-point Sacramento lead, extending the Kings’ losing streak to five games (the longest losing streak since the start of the 2022-23 season.

Sacramento (13-18) is now five games below the .500 mark for the first time in the Beam Team era.

As great as the Kings looked for over 40 minutes, Thursday’s loss was a reminder that–as baseball legend Yogi Berra once said–“it ain’t over until it’s over.”

Sacramento had better hope this stretch of poor play ends before it’s too late, as they are falling further out of the Western Conference postseason picture with each passing game, and with each loss, the pressure mounts for the franchise to make some changes that could create ripple effects for the remainder of this season and beyond.

JADEN IVEY 4-POINT PLAY FOR THE WIN ‼️

Pistons win 114-113 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9wuXDyj85V

— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2024

Kings vs. Pistons recap & takeaways

With Sabonis out of action on Thursday night, Sacramento would need somebody to step up and set the tone early against a Detroit team that entered the night one victory short of tying their entire 2023-24 season win total.

Keegan Murray’s offense has taken a step back this season, but the third-year forward looked as aggressive as ever during a strong first quarter. Murray, who had scored 10 points in each of his past three games, racked up nine points during the opening period to lead a Kings offense that shot 63 percent from the field over the first 12 minutes of play.

The first quarter belonged to Murray, but it was all Trey Lyles in the second period.

Lyles, who had scored 11 points over his first two games back from a right calf strain, erupted during the opening minutes of the second quarter. After going scoreless in the first, Lyles poured in 13 points over the first four minutes of the period, ending the quarter with 15 points–tying his career-high for points scored in a single quarter–and five boards over eight minutes.

With Lyles and Murray setting the table early, Sacramento benefited from strong performances from Malik Monk (13 points) and DeMar DeRozan (13 points) to help the Kings withstand a poor opening half from De’Aaron Fox (1 point on 0-of-seven shooting).

A strong start from beyond the arc (10-of-21, 47%) and a second quarter that saw Sacramento hold the Pistons to 19 points on seven-21 (33%) shooting from the field helped the Kings take a commanding 68-53 lead into the break.

Sacramento entered play with the NBA’s third-worst scoring bench (25.5 points per game). Naturally, the second unit dropped 28 points during the first 24 minutes of action.

Trey after Trey after Trey

three-straight threes for Trey Lyles 🏹🔥 pic.twitter.com/kJL0EUWnbx

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 27, 2024

Fox quickly turned the page on his one-point first half by scoring seven points during the opening minutes of the third quarter, and the star guard wouldn’t stop there.

The one-time All-Star scored 14 points on five-of-nine shooting during the third to help the Kings hold off a Detroit run and keep Sacramento in front by 14 points heading into the fourth quarter.

It wouldn’t be a 2024-25 Kings game without things getting dicey late, and the Pistons did everything they could to scratch and claw their way back into the game.

Detroit held Sacramento to 22 points in the fourth quarter on nine-of-twenty shooting, allowing the Pistons to stick their foot in the door–and they wouldn’t look back.

The Kings fell apart on both ends of the floor in crunch time, allowing Detroit guard Malik Beasley to hit four triples in the quarter as a once comfortable lead evaporated in a matter of minutes.

Clutch baskets by Fox and DeRozan, paired with clutch free throws from Kevin Huerter to put Sacramento up 113-110 with ten seconds to go, appeared to put the Kings on the verge of snapping the losing streak, but one final error would prove deadly.

A stunned sold-out crowd watched in horror as Fox bit on Jaden Ivey’s pump fake, allowing the Pistons guard to create some separation and get a game-tying attempt off. As the ball left Ivey’s hands, Fox collided with the former fifth-overall pick, drawing a whistle for a foul call as the ball settled into the net.

You could feel the air being sucked out of the building as Ivey was helped up by his teammates, as 18,000-plus fans sat in disbelief that Sacramento’s late double-digit lead was gone.

Ivey sank the go-ahead free throw with 3.1 seconds to go, and with no timeouts, Fox was forced to take a half-court heave for the win that hit the side of the backboard as time expired.

De’Aaron Fox’s quick postgame presser.

When he was asked about the final play where he fouled Ivey:

“It doesn’t really matter. It’s not going to make anybody feel better.” pic.twitter.com/VmgxmwSwvl

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 27, 2024

To say that Thursday’s loss was inexcusable on the Kings’ part would be a drastic understatement.

Fans are calling for head coach Mike Brown and general manager Monte McNair’s jobs. De’Aaron Fox’s future with the franchise is in question. A four-game skid was a mere minutes away from ending, yet Sacramento let another late lead slip away in devastating fashion.

Something has to give. Something has to change.

Brown relayed to the media that the coaching staff instructed their players to be “hugged up” on their defensive assignments for the final play if they were beyond the three-point arc. Fox was sagging off Ivey and ready to play help defense, allowing the guard to catch, pump fake, and attempt a triple due to his given space.

“We told our guys if someone catches and their backs to the basket, foul them,” Brown said.” We were okay with them scoring a two at the rim, so you should not be in a position to help at all. You should be hugged up on your man at the three-point line, everyone should.”

Fox, who was great in the second half (25 points), would have been the main storyline in a Kings win had Sacramento held on. Instead, the eight-year veteran became the main talking point for negative reasons due to his costly foul.

When asked about the final play, a dejected Fox kept things short during a 105-second postgame press conference.

“It doesn’t really matter,” Fox said of his thoughts on the late blunder. “It’s not going to make anyone feel better.”

On a night that looked as if Sacramento was on its way to a laugher, Detroit got the last laugh. As this is being written, the bass from music blaring the Pistons locker room can be felt through the walls of the Kings’ press conference room–a familiar trend for opposing teams this season at Golden 1 Center.

With the loss, the Kings fell to 6-12 at home this season, tying the NBA-worst New Orleans Pelicans for the worst home record in the league. The sad reality for Sacramento, among several other issues, is that their home-court advantage is non-existent. That’s no fault of the fans, either. It’s on the players, the coaching, and the front office, and it’s disappointing to see fans file out of Golden 1 Center night after night underneath a beam-less skyline.

Something has to change. Enough is enough. If the Kings want to salvage the 2024-25 season, a quiet, selective front office must awaken and prove itself before Sacramento falls back into obscurity–if they haven’t already.

Notes

De’Aaron Fox made his 500th career appearance with Sacramento on Thursday vs. DET. Fox is the 12th player in franchise history to play 500 games with the franchise and the fourth during the Sac era, joining Jason Thompson, Peja Stojakovic, and Mitch Richmond.

Keegan Murray set a new career-high for double-double in a single season with his ninth of the 2024-25 campaign.

Injury Updates

Domantas Sabonis (illness) missed his third game of the season on Thursday night. Sabonis is considered day-to-day.

Devin Carter (left shoulder surgery) has been cleared for unrestricted basketball activity following left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum on July 11.

Carter could make his debut with the Stockton Kings this weekend (Saturday, December 28th) or in Stockton on Sunday, December 29th before joining Sacramento shortly after the new year begins.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will head south for a one-game trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers for the final time this regular season.

Los Angeles has won all three matchups against the Kings thus far, including a two-game sweep at Golden 1 Center last week that was capped off by a 103-99 win on Saturday.

The Lakers haven’t swept the Kings in a four-game regular season series since the 2009-10 season.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Lakers drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on Game Night before action tips off at 7:30 PM PT from downtown Los Angeles.