The Kings hit rock bottom with a disastrous loss to the Pistons

The Kings hit rock bottom with a disastrous collapse in loss to the Pistons, which originally aired on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Next stop for the Kings: Rock Bottom.

That is, if they aren’t there yet.

Thursday’s stunning 114-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons was a perfect overview of the Kings’ recent successes – their inability to hold big leads, their inability to focus on important details and make plays down the stretch, and a general feeling of malaise during crunch time.

For the second straight year, the Kings were booed by the passionate home crowd at the Golden 1 Center, a sign of how bad things have gotten lately.

That’s five straight losses for Sacramento, the Kings’ longest loss since a seven-game exit in the 2021-22 NBA season.

In a campaign where punches in the gut keep coming, this feels like the one that hurts the most.

The Kings led by as many as 19 points and had a 98-83 lead after Trey Lyles hit a three-pointer with 8:31 to play. Sacramento’s offense stalled like a bad engine after that, while Mike Brown watched his team go scoreless over the next three minutes.

They were outnumbered 24-13 in the final 5½ minutes, and that wasn’t the worst of it.

With the Kings holding a three-point lead in the final seconds, Detroit’s Jaden Ivey positioned himself in the right corner for a three-point lead. Fox shot a little too hard and fouled Ivey, who scored the basket and free throw for the game-winning points.

According to Brown, it was a complete breakdown in defensive philosophy that killed the Kings.

“If you’re up by three points and guys get to the 3-point line, there shouldn’t be a chance for elimination. “No possibility of closing out,” explained Brown. “We agreed to score a two at the rim, so you shouldn’t be able to help at all. You should be pressed against your man at the 3-point line. Everyone should. Why did Fox close out? I’m not sure.

“Hard defeat that, in the worst case scenario, should have gone into extra time.”

Brown also had issues with the Kings’ tempo in the final six minutes – “About six minutes from the end we come to a complete standstill. With three minutes to go we roll the ball and walk it, every time against a solid defense,” Brown said.

The Pistons scored 37 points in the fourth quarter after scoring just 43 in the second and third quarters combined.

“We have to have some mental toughness,” Brown said. “We’re getting hit by screens and we literally stopped and complained to the referee. That doesn’t mean winning basketball.”

Fox acknowledged the frustration the Kings are feeling, especially after losing another game at the end.

“We knew this was a winnable game,” Fox said. “We gave ourselves a chance to win at the start of the fourth quarter and didn’t do a good job. We have to be able to finish games better.”

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