When fans and teams alike poke the bear, it often backfires. This was the case for the Domantas Sabonis-led Sacramento Kings when they decided to troll the Detroit Pistons. Player introductions were just getting started for the game when a certain clip of Brandon Aiyuk during the NFL Divisional Round was being played. It may have sparked something inside Jaden Ivey and the rest of the squad.
The idea was to bog down the Pistons' morale by showing them the catch that Brandon Aiyuk completed to send the Detroit Lions home. It played and some Kings fans started laughing, via Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
The Sacramento Kings kept replaying Brandon Aiyuk’s catch from the NFC Championship game during the Detroit Pistons lineup introduction tonight. 💀
(🎥 @KyleAMadson)
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 8, 2024
However, the tables started turning during the second quarter. The Pistons had a massive scoring outburst which netted them 39 points in the quarter to give the Kings a scare. Domantas Sabonis and Co. trailed by seven points entering halftime. They were able to gain the lead back by two points when the third quarter ended. Then, everyone on the Pistons started scoring from all cylinders with Jaden Ivey leading the barrage.
At the end of the game, the Kings lost the rebounding battle as they only grabbed 33 to the Pistons' 48 boards. Only 33% of their three-pointers went in as the Pistons knocked down 54.8% of their shots from way out. All of this trolling came back to haunt the Kings as they lost with a scoreline of 133 to 120.
Jaden Ivey's squad scorches the Kings
Cade Cunningham is still not playing for the Pistons but it does not mean that they are not lethal. The Kings learned this the hard way as the former Purdue basketball superstar scored 37 points while dropping seven dimes and also grabbing six rebounds.
Sabonis was quick to respond to help his Kings but he flamed out after playing 41 minutes. He ended the game with a 30-point double-double with 12 rebounds and seven dimes. Malik Monk also notched 23 points and got 10 assists in 34 minutes. In total, five Kings were able to get more than 10 points but it was to no avail.
Ivey's outburst was infectious which meant that other Pistons exposed the Kings' defense as well. Jalen Duren scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while Alec Burks recorded 23 points to help his squad. The bear was poked and clearly, the outcome was not desirable for the Kings.
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