Pistons squander second-biggest lead of season in 131-110 loss against Kings

Detroit — Basket by basket, the Sacramento Kings chipped away at the Pistons' second-largest lead of the season.

The Pistons, playing without Cade Cunningham, led by 20 points in the first quarter and maintained enough distance to hold a 19-point advantage midway in the second. However, that was until they had another classic meltdown — one full of bad turnovers and poor shotmaking.

Detroit committed five of their 21 turnovers in less than two minutes and had a putrid second-quarter shooting performance that put them in three-point hole going into halftime. Sacramento, the fifth-best team in the Western Conference, took advantage of Detroit's miscues, just as Portland and Boston had done earlier this season.

The sloppy performance made another winnable game much more difficult, and the Pistons weren't able to regain their offensive continuity from the first quarter and suffered a 131-110 loss to the Kings. It was their fifth consecutive loss and Detroit remains winless against the Western Conference (0-14) this season.

BOX SCORE: Kings 131, Pistons 110

The Pistons had a fast start on Tuesday with an explosion of 47 points in the first quarter, which marked Detroit's most points scored in one quarter since November of 1985. Bojan Bogdnaovic was mostly responsible for their offensive success as he scored 13 of his team-high 26 points in that period. He was the recipient of three catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, which helped give his team an 18-point lead going into the second quarter.

Their 20-point first-quarter lead was the Pistons' second-highest of the season after their 21-point lead over the Celtics, which also resulted in a loss.

More:Pistons observations: Sharpshooter Bogdanovic on target early; Hayes replaces Cunningham

However, the Pistons made four of their 20 shot attempts in the second quarter, which was one of the main factors for their latest collapse.

Jaden Ivey also stepped up in Cunningham's absence and scored 22 points, his most since finishing with 22 in Detroit's overtime loss to the Celtics on Dec. 28. However, he accounted for four of Detroit's 21 turnovers.

Detroit trailed by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, but Alec Burks put it upon himself to shoulder the scoring load in the third quarter. The veteran guard notched 12 of his 16 points in that period, including a tough 3-pointer with two seconds left that helped the Pistons go into the final quarter trailing by just three. Joe Harris made a rare appearance and helped the Pistons in the third quarter by drilling three timely 3-pointers to help stop the bleeding by the Kings.

It was Detroit's first game without Cunningham, who was sidelined with a left knee strain that will keep him out for at least the next seven to 10 days. Killian Hayes was elevated to the starting lineup as a result and struggled with four points, four rebounds and seven assists. He committed six of Detroit's 21 turnovers, including two during that brutal stretch in the second quarter.

Kings star center Domantas Sabonis was a force on Tuesday. He finished with a triple-double of 37 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals while connecting on 16 of his 21 shot attempts. Keegan Murray made his imprint on the game from beyond the arc with 32 points 13-of-17 from the field, including five-of-nine from distance.

The Pistons won't have time to sulk over their latest loss because the San Antonio Spurs will visit Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, which marks Victor Wembanayma's first visit to the Motor City.

mcurtis@detroitnews.com

@MikeACurtis2