Out of the timeout, Coach Smart opted to put Cousins back in for Travis Outlaw but he kept everyone else out there. Isaiah Thomas remained on the bench throughout crunch time, a decision I feel helped cost the game considering Aaron Brooks made some particularly bonehead decisions late.

With 53 seconds left and no fouls to give, Coach Smart called out "no foul! no foul!" wanting to try to get a stop and the ball back. Aaron Brooks however only heard "foul!" and promptly wrapped up Will Bynum to the disbelief of Smart. Bynum hit his free throws to make it a five point game, but it wasn't over yet. Brooks got to the line himself on a decent drive where he almost got a three-point play, but did convert his free throws to cut it back to three.

Lawrence Frank called a 20 sec. timeout to draw a play with 35 seconds left. He substituted Austin Daye, who had been very effective earlier, to create some spacing. Out of the timeout, the Kings defended the Pistons very well, almost forcing a shot-clock violation, but Prince saw Daye moving off the ball at the last second, found him, and Daye swished the three as the shot clock expired. There were still 11 seconds left in the game, but any hope the Kings had of winning the game went out the window with that three.

Free Throws proved to be the key down the stretch. Sacramento had gotten to the penalty early in the fourth, and it came back to bite them in the ass in the final few minutes, as all of Detroit's points in the last three minutes save for the final three came at the line.

Other Notes:

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