Unser Chat » a two-game winning streak.Greg Monroe scored 24 points

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - After going nearly a month without a victory, the Detroit Pistons now proudly own a two-game winning streak.Greg Monroe scored 24 points, Josh Smith had 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots, and the Pistons beat the Sacramento Kings 95-90 on Saturday night.The Pistons used a 24-14 advantage in the third quarter and never relinquished the lead in registering back-to-back wins for only the second time all season.Detroit, 5-19 this season, had lost 13 straight and was one loss shy of tying the franchise record before beating Phoenix on Friday.When youre 3-19 there is no pressure to win with that kind of record. You can play carefree, and just try to play your game, said Smith, who shot 6 of 9 from the field.Smiths game, which included seven turnovers, was far from perfect, and his teammates werent, either. Detroit missed 14 of 20 3-pointers, was outrebounded 55-43 and its 15 turnovers resulted in 20 points.But it helped that the Kings were again without leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins, who missed his ninth straight game with viral meningitis. The Kings have gone 2-7 without Cousins, who has no timetable for a return.Rudy Gay made four 3-pointers and scored 20, and also added eight rebounds and eight assists for the Kings, who shot 35 per cent. But Gay also struggled overall, hitting just 6-of-22 attempts. Usually productive point guard Darren Collison missed nine of 10 shots and had three points.Definitely holding them to 35-per cent shooting was good, Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy said. We made it tough on Rudy Gay — a great player — and Collison. We did what we wanted to do defensively.Carl Landry had 15 points and Ben McLemore 14 for Sacramento, which has dropped three straight and eight of 10.Andre Drummond had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Singler added 11 points for Detroit, which had a season-high nine blocks.With the Pistons clinging to a four-point lead, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer and DJ Augustin made two free throws to make it 88-79 with 34 seconds remaining. Consecutive 3-pointers by McLemore cut the lead to three points, but Monroe had a breakaway dunk to help seal the victory.The Pistons spread the ball around offensively in the second half and played effectively on defence against the cold-shooting Kings, who opened the season with a 9-5 record but have struggled since losing Cousins.I dont think we are waiting for DeMarcus to come back. We just are not playing the right basketball right now, Collison said.Regardless when he comes back or not, we are not playing the right basketball. DeMarcus does a lot of things that are good for us and he also builds us up because he is so talented. But you never want to rely on just one guy to build you up.Detroit trailed by three points before scoring 11 unanswered to start the third quarter. The Kings missed their first nine shots and went scoreless for more than 4 1/2 minutes. Despite a 13-0 run later in the period, Detroit only led 67-60 entering the fourth.I thought we missed a lot of great looks. That third quarter really hurt us, Kings coach Michael Malone said. We shot 18 per cent in that quarter. So that makes it hard to build a lead and win games when you struggle to make shots.___TIP-INSPistons: Point guard Brandon Jennings had another rough evening offensively, finishing with three points. He is averaging 5.3 points in the past seven games.Kings: Sacramento entered the game averaging less than five 3s a game. The Kings made 7 of 14 in the opening half and finished with a season-high 11. ... Reserve forward Omri Casspi missed his second straight game with a left knee bone contusion.FATHER VS. SONBrendan Malone, the father of Kings coach, is an assistant coach with the Pistons. The two spoke for about 10 minutes outside the Kings locker room after the game, with father providing some consoling words. My son is a very good coach, hes done a nice job with this team, Brendan said. But I understand what hes up against right now, hes doesnt have his best player. Thats difficult.UP NEXTPistons: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.Kings: Host Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Jawaan Taylor Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Wild getting Matt Moulson from Buffalo. The Wild Get: LW Matt Moulson and LW Cody McCormick. Josh Allen Youth Jersey . Louis and Ryan Kesler have demanded to be traded. http://www.authenticjaguarslockroom.com/Youth-Leonard-Fournette-Elite-Jersey/ . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. Ryquell Armstead Jersey . Reyes, 26, was traded from Atlanta to Toronto in July 2010 and spent the remainder of the season in the minors. He began 2011 in the majors and made 20 starts with the Blue Jays, going 5-8 with a 5.40 earned run average before he was waived on Aug. Ryquell Armstead Youth Jersey . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136.GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A federal judge in Michigan upheld a $1.6 million judgment against former Detroit Red Wings forward Kevin Miller for a hit from behind during a 2000 Swiss league game that ended another players career. U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist in Grand Rapids ruled in favour of a Swiss insurance company. The insurer had asked the court to recognize a Swiss courts $1.1 million judgment, which increased to $1.6 million with interest and costs. Quist said in Thursdays ruling that his court was adhering to the Uniform Foreign-Country Judgments Recognition Act. Millers hit on Canadian national Andrew McKim caused McKim to fall forward and strike his head on the ice. He was hospitalized for weeks with a concussion and other injuries. Miller previously refused to pay the Swiss courts judgment, saying he didnt think the ruling was valid. His attorney, Douglas Donnell, didnt respond to a phone message seeking comment left Saturday at his office by The Associated Press. According to The Grand Rapids Press, Miller was charged in Switzerlands Canton of Zurich in 2004 and eventtually convicted of simple bodily harm, intentional bodily harm and gross negligence.dddddddddddd The court found him completely responsible for McKims injuries. A similar case is playing out in Canada, where a lawsuit is pending against Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi for a career-ending hit he laid on Colorado Avalanche centre Steve Moore in 2004, when Bertuzzi played for the Vancouver Canucks. Moore is suing Bertuzzi and the Canucks for $38 million over the hit, which left Moore with a concussion and three fractured vertebrae. The case is scheduled to go to trial in Toronto on Sept. 8. Bertuzzi was suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, which cost him about $502,000, and he didnt play during the 2004-05 lockout season. But he was reinstated for the 2005-06 campaign and has since continued his career, most recently with Detroit. Like Miller, Bertuzzi also faced criminal charges over the on-ice incident. He pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and was sentenced in 2006 to a year of probation and 80 hours of community service. ' ' '