LaVine and DeRozan's Monster Nights Carry Kings Over Pistons

It's not often that a 37-point DeMar DeRozan performance gets overshadowed, but in a game in which the Sacramento Kings took down the Pistons 127-117, Zach LaVine's 43-piece led the way in Detroit.

After scoring a historic 37 points last night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, LaVine finished tonight with 43 points on another hyper-efficient shooting night. He shot 16-of-28 (57.1%) from the field and 8-of-11 (72.7%) from beyond the arc.

Over the last three games, Zach LaVine is 19-of-29 (65.5%) from beyond the arc.

Asking for a friend. Is that good?

It's no coincidence the Kings are 3-0 in the stretch. LaVine with one of the smoothest shots in the game pic.twitter.com/qJ7cE0HSJj
— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) April 8, 2025

Somehow LaVine topped his performance of 7-of-11 from three last night in a shooting display for the ages. With one of the smoothest shots in the league, he's nearly impossible to stop once he gets going, and it felt like he never cooled off from last night.

But it wasn't just LaVine who had a big night. DeMar DeRozan chipped in 37 points on 53.8% shooting from the field. While LaVine used the three-ball to get his scoring done, DeRozan used his patented mid-range and ability to get to the line to help lead the Kings.

The 16-year veteran got to the line ten times, making eight of them, and used the Pistons physicality to his advantage and get the easy looks at the line.

Zach LaVine: 43 PTS | DeMar DeRozan: 37 PTS

They're just the 5th pair of Kings teammates to score 37+ in a game in franchise history. They join:
Fox & Monk (2023)
I. Thomas & M. Thornton (2014)
T. Archibald & T. Van Arsdale (1972)
O. Robertson & J. Twyman (1966) pic.twitter.com/CKtJIEAktC
— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) April 8, 2025

While LaVine and DeRozan will get the headlines, tonight was another game where the Kings looked great on both sides of the ball. The Pistons came out hot and scored 72 points in the first half, but Sacramento ramped up their defensive pressure and held them to just 45 in the second half.

Cade Cunningham scored a team-high 35 points for the Pistons, but no one else breached the twenty point mark. Detroit's roster is filled with shooters, but Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik beasley combined to shoot 8-of-25 (32%) from beyond the arc.

The defense wasn't perfect for the Kings, but the effort was apparent and more than got the job done tonight.

With just three games left in the regular season, it feels like the Kings are finding their groove. They are consistently getting into their opponents space in the backcourt with full-court pressure and doing all of the little things that don't show on the box score.

It feels like they are finally taking everything that Doug Christie is saying and putting it together on the court. Even more impressive, they've done it with injuries taking a toll on the Kings, who were already without Keegan Murray and Jake LaRavia, and lost Malik Monk in the first half tonight.

But the formula is there. Let LaVine and DeRozan do their thing on offense, and then have everyone else fill in the gaps.

Domantas Sabonis had another fantastic game that will also be overshadowed with the high-scoring affairs. He finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists for another triple-double. After an odd stretch where the Kings were uncharacteristically going away from Sabonis, he's back to orchestrating the offense as the offensive hub.

Sacramento is in a tough position facing the play-in tournament, but it's getting harder and harder to not feel a little hope that they can sneak into the playoffs, especially if Zach LaVine can keep up this kind of shooting.

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