On April 7, 2025, the Sacramento Kings staged an unbelievable comeback to defeat the Detroit Pistons 127–117 at Little Caesars Arena. Down by 18 points in the first half, the Kings were led by Zach LaVine’s season-high 43 points, including eight three-pointers, and DeMar DeRozan’s 37 points. Domantas Sabonis supplemented his performance with a triple-double on 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 12 rebounds from the bench. Sacramento improved its record to 39–40 with their third win in a row and finished the season at ninth in the Western Conference.
The Pistons dominated early, and at halftime they led 72–62 as Cade Cunningham tallied 35 points on 13-of-21 from the floor. But Detroit struggled in the second half, scoring a mere 45 on 40% shooting, including 31.2% three-pointers. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 19, Ausar Thompson chipped in 15, and Malik Beasley had 14 off the bench. The loss was the fourth in five games for Detroit, dropping it to 43–36 and 1.5 games behind the fifth-place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.
In the final two minutes, with the Kings leading 119–112, Trey Lyles’ layup and LaVine’s five points thereafter sealed the game for Sacramento. LaVine’s 30 second-half points tied his career high for threes made in a game. The Kings’ toughness and team offense in the second quarter confirmed their team’s commitment to making the playoffs, while the Pistons had trouble maintaining their early momentum.
