Deuce's Dish: Kings Get By Pistons
By Dave "Deuce" Mason
It wasn't a thing of beauty but Sacramento Kings head coach Keith Smart will take the win.
The Kings won their second game of the season on Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena to improve to 2-3 with a 105-103 win over the Detroit Pistons.
"Somehow they found a way to win the game," Smart said. "It was an ugly game for us to win but this team found a way to do it."
DeMarcus Cousins finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Tyreke Evans had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Sacramento finished with seven players in double-figures including Jimmer Fredette who added 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench.
The Kings had 15 assists in the win over Detroit and remain last in the league in assists per game.
"I see when I look at the film that we're just not making the open shot. We got to make the open shots," Smart said.
"Did we win tonight? I'm not worrying about the assist number tonight."
Starting point guard Isaiah Thomas is confident the assist numbers will go up as the players get more practice with Smart's new offense but added that the team needs to move without the ball.
"A lot of times when someone gets the ball and they hold it we're kind of watching to see what they're going to do when we should be doing action off the ball," Thomas said.
"We're not hitting shots so it's making the offense look worse than it really is."
Let's Get Physical:
-Kings rookie Thomas Robinson was ejected in the fourth quarter for a vicious elbow to the throat of Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko.
Robinson faces a suspension by the NBA and Smart called it a learning experience for the rookie.
-Robinson wasn't the only one with physical play. Keith Smart got in the act with a "headbutt" to Isaiah Thomas in the 3rd quarter but of course the headbutt was all in fun.
Smart called over the second-year guard after some confusion with a play and Thomas said after the game that Smart was trying to wake him up.
"I don't know what he was doing but he hurt my head," Thomas said with a smile.
Stats of the night:
-The Kings scored over 100 points for the first time this season. Smart put a lot of emphasis on defense during training camp so it may be the reason why the offense is off to a slow start.
"We're focusing on the defensive end, playing hard defense," Thomas said.
"That takes a toll on you on the offensive end, so we're not up to par."
-One-The number of unsuccessful alley-oops Aaron Brooks has thrown to Jimmer Fredette this season. Fredette was blocked by Kyle Singler on the attempt.
-Pistons center Greg Monroe had his first career triple double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
-The Pistons (0-5) and the Wizards (0-3) are they only teams in the NBA without a win. Detroit could be facing an 0-7 start with road games against Oklahoma City and Houston.
Point Guard Production:
This is a statistic that I'm keeping track of throughout the season but on Wednesday Jimmer Fredette got into the act.
We combine the points and assists from point guards to see what type of production the Kings are getting from the trio (Brooks, Thomas and Fredette).
Wednesday's PGP results: 38 points and eight assists.
A Look Ahead: The Kings wrap up a three-game homestand with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs (4-1) come to town after suffering a 106-84 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.
Hear Dave "Deuce" Mason on The Jason Ross Show and follow him on Twitter: @DeuceMason
