Kings vs. Pistons Preview – By the Numbers

February 7, 2024

The daunting first game back after a long road trip! The Kings are back in Sacramento to take on the 6-43 Detroit Pistons. It’s a game that feels like a must win due to the opponent being so bad, but take note that the Pistons just beat the Thunder a few days ago, so nothing is set in stone for tonight.

The Pistons struggle on both sides of the ball, with the 26th ranked offense and 29th ranked defense. A big issue Detroit faces on a nightly basis is that they consistently lose the possession battle by a wide margin. They average 15.6 Turnovers per game, 2nd most in the league, and only grab 5.9 Steals, fewest in the NBA.

The Kings are sitting at 13.5 Turnovers (t-14th) and 7.2 Steals (21st) on the season. Fine stats, but nothing otherworldly. In trying to think of a way that the Kings could lose tonight, unforced turnovers jumps to the top of the list. We’ve seen them shoot themselves in the foot with it before, but against the Pistons, who are last in the league with 13.6 Points off Turnovers per game, the Kings will have to be careful not to let that bad habit creep back up tonight.

The main matchup I’ll be watching tonight is Domantas Sabonis vs. Jalen Duren and company. In their first matchup against Detroit, Sabonis had a monster game with a season high 37 Points, 10 Rebounds, 13 Assists, and 3 Steals. He shot a staggering 14-of-16 (87.5%) in the Restricted Area. The Pistons don’t have anyone that can stop Sabonis inside, and the Kings should go to him down low over and over tonight.

Sacramento is 10-4 when Sabonis attempts at least 15 Field Goals. His assist numbers are impressive, but sometimes the best strategy on the court is to have Sabonis be more selfish and shoot more. In the loss to the Cavs, he shot 6-of-9 (66.7%) from the field. A great percentage, but very low volume.

Over the last 16 games, Domas is shooting 68.9% from the field. Let this be my official request for more Sabonis FGAs.

Last but certainly not least, the swing stat of the game. I looked hard for this one, and not much jumps out from the Pistons 6 wins. What does stand out is their 2nd Chance Point splits in wins and losses. In wins, they average 18.2 2nd Chance Points and give up 10.3 to their opponent. In losses, it’s 13.5 and 14.6.

The Kings give up 11.8 2nd Chance Points per game, fewest in the league. Keep that trend up tonight and don’t let the Pistons outwork you on the offensive boards.