http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13981806p-14815459c.html
Detour in Detroit
Pistons defeat an obviously fatigued Kings team
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, December 15, 2005
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - On a tarmac runway in Minneapolis, the tiring of the Kings began.
They sat there for an hour late Tuesday night while their plane de-iced, a process not so different from what the Kings had experienced themselves. The ice-cold team had turned hot with a scintillating win over the Timberwolves, momentum returning alongside hope. And then came reality.
Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Kings were caught sleepwalking in their 109-98 loss to Detroit on Wednesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, their three-game winning streak ending in explainable, if unwelcome, fashion.
"A little fatigued, yes," Kings small forward Peja Stojakovic said. "We were fighting for three quarters, and then they showed why they're one of the best, if not the best, team in the league."
And how. The Pistons displayed their new and improved offense, the byproduct of first-year coach Flip Saunders and the scoring ways he brought over from Minnesota. They used the Kings' approach - all starters, no reserves - to keep their streak of scoring 100-plus points at home alive, this time being the seventh time in seven tries.
Point guard Chauncey Billups had a career-high 19 assists, the most by a Piston since Isiah Thomas had 19 on Feb. 16, 1993, against Orlando. On a sensational side note, he scored 28 points, hitting 10 of 15 from the field and 6 of 8 three-pointers.
Pistons guard Richard Hamilton scored a game-high 36 points, hitting 15 of 27 shots. If not for the 0-for-7 outing of former King Maurice Evans, Detroit would have shot 55 percent. As it was, the Pistons hit 50.6 percent from the field, with all but eight points coming from the starting unit. Center Ben Wallace, who came out plenty loose while wearing goofy red glasses at tipoff, grabbed 17 rebounds, one off his season high. What's more, the Eastern Conference leaders had plenty to play for, having suffered a surprising loss to Utah two nights before.
"That was nice," Billups said in an understatement. "We got into a rhythm shooting, and people were knocking down shots. It was fun."
At least for them. Having arrived at their Pontiac hotel at 2:30 a.m., the Kings were flat from the start, falling behind 12-6 and trailing 36-27 after one quarter. A rare outburst from the bench brought the Kings back in it, when the unit of Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson, Brian Skinner, Francisco García and a shared point-guard role in Mike Bibby and Jason Hart went on a 13-1 run to give the Kings a 40-37 lead. Kings coach Rick Adelman had gone to a zone defense in the second quarter, slowing down the Pistons for a short time. The Kings' tank, though, was already nearing empty.
By the fourth quarter, Adelman deemed it bone-dry. He went to the bench with 8:37 left and the Kings down 94-77, subbing Hart for Bibby to put all reserves on the floor to stay. The move was wholly different than the last time, when Adelman benched his starters Dec. 4 against Minnesota to make a statement. This time, it was more an act of mercy.
"I don't think in the fourth quarter that there really was a doubt, with the way they were shooting the ball," Adelman said. "I had put (the reserves) in there in the second quarter, and they did a good job. I just didn't think we were going to close the gap, so I was trying to see what they can do."
They did more than the starters, who came in providing 82 percent of the team's output for the season. Stojakovic finished with just 10 points, shooting just nine times and hitting four with Tayshaun Prince at his side throughout. Kings center Brad Miller had a team-high 16 points, but his two assists didn't bode well.
If nothing else, the Kings were plenty tired of the Pistons by the end.
"I think the guys are definitely tired," said Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who had 14 points and just two rebounds. "That's not an excuse. We just didn't sustain it, and they made some runs and made some shots."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Detour in Detroit
Pistons defeat an obviously fatigued Kings team
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, December 15, 2005
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - On a tarmac runway in Minneapolis, the tiring of the Kings began.
They sat there for an hour late Tuesday night while their plane de-iced, a process not so different from what the Kings had experienced themselves. The ice-cold team had turned hot with a scintillating win over the Timberwolves, momentum returning alongside hope. And then came reality.
Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Kings were caught sleepwalking in their 109-98 loss to Detroit on Wednesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, their three-game winning streak ending in explainable, if unwelcome, fashion.
"A little fatigued, yes," Kings small forward Peja Stojakovic said. "We were fighting for three quarters, and then they showed why they're one of the best, if not the best, team in the league."
And how. The Pistons displayed their new and improved offense, the byproduct of first-year coach Flip Saunders and the scoring ways he brought over from Minnesota. They used the Kings' approach - all starters, no reserves - to keep their streak of scoring 100-plus points at home alive, this time being the seventh time in seven tries.
Point guard Chauncey Billups had a career-high 19 assists, the most by a Piston since Isiah Thomas had 19 on Feb. 16, 1993, against Orlando. On a sensational side note, he scored 28 points, hitting 10 of 15 from the field and 6 of 8 three-pointers.
Pistons guard Richard Hamilton scored a game-high 36 points, hitting 15 of 27 shots. If not for the 0-for-7 outing of former King Maurice Evans, Detroit would have shot 55 percent. As it was, the Pistons hit 50.6 percent from the field, with all but eight points coming from the starting unit. Center Ben Wallace, who came out plenty loose while wearing goofy red glasses at tipoff, grabbed 17 rebounds, one off his season high. What's more, the Eastern Conference leaders had plenty to play for, having suffered a surprising loss to Utah two nights before.
"That was nice," Billups said in an understatement. "We got into a rhythm shooting, and people were knocking down shots. It was fun."
At least for them. Having arrived at their Pontiac hotel at 2:30 a.m., the Kings were flat from the start, falling behind 12-6 and trailing 36-27 after one quarter. A rare outburst from the bench brought the Kings back in it, when the unit of Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson, Brian Skinner, Francisco García and a shared point-guard role in Mike Bibby and Jason Hart went on a 13-1 run to give the Kings a 40-37 lead. Kings coach Rick Adelman had gone to a zone defense in the second quarter, slowing down the Pistons for a short time. The Kings' tank, though, was already nearing empty.
By the fourth quarter, Adelman deemed it bone-dry. He went to the bench with 8:37 left and the Kings down 94-77, subbing Hart for Bibby to put all reserves on the floor to stay. The move was wholly different than the last time, when Adelman benched his starters Dec. 4 against Minnesota to make a statement. This time, it was more an act of mercy.
"I don't think in the fourth quarter that there really was a doubt, with the way they were shooting the ball," Adelman said. "I had put (the reserves) in there in the second quarter, and they did a good job. I just didn't think we were going to close the gap, so I was trying to see what they can do."
They did more than the starters, who came in providing 82 percent of the team's output for the season. Stojakovic finished with just 10 points, shooting just nine times and hitting four with Tayshaun Prince at his side throughout. Kings center Brad Miller had a team-high 16 points, but his two assists didn't bode well.
If nothing else, the Kings were plenty tired of the Pistons by the end.
"I think the guys are definitely tired," said Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who had 14 points and just two rebounds. "That's not an excuse. We just didn't sustain it, and they made some runs and made some shots."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.