Pistons' Jaden Ivey had a wild 4-point game in the comeback win over the Kings

With 2:46 left in the fourth quarter on Thursday, the Detroit Pistons faced a 10-point deficit and were coming off one of their worst basketball quarters in a week.

Their most miraculous finish to a game this season was a thrilling upset victory. With 3.1 seconds on the clock, Jaden Ivey knocked down a three-pointer when De’Aaron Fox fouled him. Ivey hit the free throw to give the Pistons a wild 114-113 victory after coming from behind.

The Pistons (14-17 overall) closed the game with a 17-6 run in the final three minutes. Malik Beasley sparked the run, knocking down three 3-pointers in the span to bring the Pistons within one point, 109-108, with 1:04 left. With 14.6 seconds left, Ivey prepared his game-winning shot, shot through the lane and reduced the score to 111:110.

They improved to 3-0 after four games on the West Coast, ending Saturday against the Denver Nuggets.

Cade Cunningham led the team with 33 points and 10 assists. Beasley scored 22 points and Ivey had 19 points and six rebounds. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 26 points and scored 25 points in the second half. It was a poor defensive performance for the Pistons most of the night, allowing Sacramento to shoot 47.6% overall.

However, the fourth quarter belonged to the Pistons, who outscored the Kings by 15 points in the final frame. The Kings were without Domantas Sabonis due to illness.

More:Cade Cunningham’s Player of the Week award recognizes the Detroit Pistons’ progress

The offense remains cold, but finishes strong

The Pistons were a capable offensive team in December and entered Friday with the 13th-best offensive rating in the league this month (113.1). For most of Thursday’s game, the Pistons endured their worst offensive performance in weeks.

At the end of the third quarter, the Pistons shot just 38.8% overall. The last time they had a shooting percentage below 40% in a game was on November 30th when they had a shooting percentage of 38.5% in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Combined with their defensive woes, the Kings led by as many as 18 in the second half as the Pistons repeatedly failed to get stops.

The final period was a 180 from the third period, where they shot just 30.8% overall and 3 for 14 on 3-pointers. In the fourth period, the Pistons shot 12-for-24 from the floor and 7-for-12 from 3 to fuel their late push. Ivey went 3 for 3 in the fourth and Beasley went 3 for 4 from 3.

They finished the game with an overall performance of 41.8% – still their worst mark in December, but good enough to eke out a razor-thin win.

Reed provides the spark from the bench

Isaiah Stewart missed his fourth straight game with a hyperextended left knee. Paul Reed was key to the Pistons’ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, recording five assists and three steals in 20 minutes. He went scoreless, but his defensive energy was noticeable.

“Zero points, but I think he had maybe the second biggest impact on the game,” JB Bickerstaff said Monday. “He did so much for us defensively.

“His assists were great. I think he played a balanced game and our bench deserves a lot of credit for what they did.”

Reed’s energy was similar on Thursday, posting seven points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in just under 13 minutes. Stewart is close to returning, having been upgraded to questionable ahead of Thursday’s game for the first time since his initial injury.

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Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.

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