There are a lot of words to describe the Kings' 133-131 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
Heartbreaking, frustrating, disappointing. Insert whichever word you like.
Not only did the game come down to the buzzer, but it was a game the Kings should have won. Leading by double digits with just over two minutes remaining, Sacramento pieced together another signature late-game collapse in which the Kings spoiled a career night for guard Terence Davis.
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SIGN UP HERE Scoring 35 points on 11-of-23 from the field and 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, Davis set career-highs in points scored and 3-pointers Wednesday night.
At the end of the day, what Davis cares about most is winning, not the personal accolades.
“It was frustrating, you know?" Davis told reporters postgame. "We played really hard, were up like nine or 10 towards the end of the game. They make a 12-0 run, it’s unacceptable but it’s frustrating.”
“It don’t mean anything. It means nothing without a win, that’s just how I look at it.”
The loss to the Pistons is just one of many games the Kings have had slip through their fingers this season, oftentimes imploding in the third quarter. Wednesday night, though, the implosion happened in crunch time, and because of that, it hurt even more.
“We gotta stick with it, man," Davis said. "Down the stretch, we didn’t do the small things. They got a couple offensive rebounds and we just didn’t execute defensively, offensively. We didn’t down the stretch when we needed it most.”
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“I don’t think there’s a whole lot to say," coach Alvin Gentry added. "We had the game under control, up 10 with two and a half minutes to go. You’ve got to find a way to – not really even score any more points – but you’ve gotta find a way to have stops and we didn’t come up with stops obviously.”
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As of right now, the Kings don't appear to have any answers. Certainly not ideal for a team who is about to face Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia, both New York teams and Golden State all within the next seven games. All on the road.
Buckle up, Kings fans.