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Cory Joseph hits winner as Detroit Pistons rally past Sacramento Kings, 133-131

Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart, top, pulls down an offensive rebound between teammate Cory Joseph, front right, and Kings center Richaun Holmes, left, in the first quarter in Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday. (AP photo)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Cory Joseph made a 14-foot jumper with 25.9 seconds remaining to cap a game-ending 11-0 run that rallied the Detroit Pistons past the Sacramento Kings 133-131 on Wednesday night.

Saddiq Bey had 30 points and seven rebounds to help the Pistons (11-33) win their fourth in seven games. Kelly Olynyk added a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds in his first game since November.

Joseph, the former Kings guard who was dealt to the Pistons at the trade deadline last year, finished with 19 points and nine assists.

“They showed the resilience that we have to have,” Detroit coach Dwane Casey said. “These are the dog days of the season, right before the All-Star break. You mentally have to get ready to go. We had some big-time defensive breakdowns down the stretch; we weren’t disciplined on switches. (But) we found a way.”

Terence Davis scored 14 of his career-high 35 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings. De’Aaron Fox added 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds but missed a 14-footer that bounced off the front of the rim at the buzzer.

Sacramento has dropped seven of nine.

“You have to guard in a way that you just don’t give up the last 11 points of the game. You just can’t do it,” Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry said. “The bottom line is that they made big shots when they had to and we didn’t get the last one in the basket. We played well enough to win. We just didn’t finish the game.”

The Kings led 131-122 with 2:34 left but went scoreless the rest of the way while the Pistons seized control.

Bey and Olynyk made consecutive 3-pointers, and Bey followed with a three-point play to tie it at 131. After Fox missed a short jumper, Joseph connected on the go-ahead shot to silence the crowd.

“I love Cory,” Casey said. “He means a lot to our organization. The way he’s been playing the last two or three weeks has been big-time. He’s been a sparkplug for us. Hopefully he’s setting the tone for our young guys here with his play, with his professional approach. He could probably go to a championship-caliber team and be a sparkplug, but to us he’s very important.”

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