Our ratings lean toward the Pistons on the road against the Kings on Tuesday, January 5, at about 74%. That is a real edge, but the Kings are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Pistons 74%, with a projected score of Detroit Pistons 116, Sacramento Kings 110. The rating gap is 281 points in favor of the Pistons, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Kings on top of that.
A reading this high has real meaning, but upsets of this size happen. Nearly one game in 4 like it goes the other way.
Recent form
The Pistons are 2-0 this season and 3-2 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of +2.2. The Kings are 0-2 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -8.8.
The Pistons' best recent win was 115-94 on the road against CLE.
The Pistons were beaten 125-94 at home by CLE not long ago.
The Kings were beaten 121-96 on the road by LAC not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Dylan Cardwell (SAC), expected back Nov 2, 2026, Maxime Raynaud (SAC), expected back Nov 2, 2026, and Ben Simmons (SAC), expected back Oct 1, 2027.
Day to day or questionable: Ausar Thompson (DET) and Jalen Duren (DET). Their status can change before tip-off.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Pistons lead 3-1, with the Pistons outscoring the Kings by an average of 5.7 points per game. The last meeting was SAC 116, DET 139.