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The Sacramento Kings will head to Michigan to take on the Detroit Pistons in the final matchup of their current five-game road trip.
Both teams desperately need a win to head into the All-Star break on a high note. The Kings have lost their last nine games, while the Pistons failed to pull out a win in their previous game and sit in last place of the Eastern Conference standings.
Match Details
Fixture: Sacramento Kings vs Detroit Pistons | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Friday, February 26th, 8 PM ET
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Sacramento Kings Preview
The Sacramento Kings continue to fall down the Western Conference as they have dropped their ninth straight game. During this stretch, the Kings have allowed 126.3 points per game and have a defensive efficiency of 127.2 points per 100 possessions, via cleaningtheglass.com. That is 13.7 points worse than the league average.
Historically, the Kings cannot get much worse on defense. However, they may be able to catch their breath and regroup against the Detroit Pistons, who rank in the bottom five of the league offensively, scoring 108 points per 100 possessions.
Key Player - De'Aaron Fox
If there is one thing for the Sacramento Kings to be happy about this season, it is De'Aaron Fox. Although he did not make the All-Star team, the fourth-year guard has still taken a leap in his play.
Fox is leading the team with a career-high 22.5 points per game. However, the most impressive thing about his play this season has been his ability to score down the stretch. He ranks sixth in the league with 64 clutch-time points per NBA Advanced Stats.
Sacramento Kings Predicted Lineup
G De'Aaron Fox, G Buddy Hield, F Harrison Barnes, F Marvin Bagley III, C Richaun Holmes
Detroit Pistons Preview
The Detroit Pistons suffered a 118-128 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in their last game to move to 9-23 on the year. It was their sixth set of back-to-back games in the first half of the NBA 2020-21 season. They split two of them and lost the other four.
As bad as double-headers have been on the Pistons record, coach Dwayne Casey has used the time to develop the future. In the game over the Pelicans, Detroit's second unit scored 36 first-half points.
Key Player - Jerami Grant
Averaging 23.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists, Jerami Grant was in contention to earn his first All-Star appearance for the Eastern Conference.
Grant will need to work harder to get his teammates involved in the offense and diversify their play style.
Detroit Pistons Predicted Lineup
G Dennis Smith Jr., G Wayne Ellington, F Saddiq Bey, F Jerami Grant, C Mason Plumlee
Kings vs Pistons Prediction
As bad as the Sacramento Kings are defensively, they have multiple match-up advantages in the backcourt, with Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox.
We expect this game to be a high-scoring one. However, the Sacramento Kings will ultimately come out on top, avoiding their 10th consecutive loss.
Where to watch Kings vs Pistons
Local telecast of the game will be available on NBC Sports California and Fox Sports Detroit. You can also live-stream this matchup via the NBA League Pass.
Guess the Lakers players!
