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Zach LaVine's 43 points helps Kings storm back vs. Pistons

Zach LaVine's 43 points helps Kings storm back vs. Pistons

Miami Herald08-04-2025
Zach LaVine scored a season-high 43 points, DeMar DeRozan added 37 points and the visiting Sacramento Kings beat the Detroit Pistons 127-117 on Monday for their third straight win.
Domantas Sabonis recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for Sacramento (39-40), which erased an 18-point first-half deficit. Off the bench, Jonas Valanciunas added 10 points and 12 rebounds.
LaVine, who was 8-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, made six 3-pointers and scored 30 points in the second half for the Kings, who led 119-112 on Trey Lyles' layup with 3:32 left in regulation.
Detroit pulled within 122-114 with 2:05 left before LaVine scored the next five points to seal the Kings' victory. LaVine's eight 3-pointers matched a season high.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit (43-36) with 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points, Ausar Thompson added 15 and Malik Beasley had 14 off the bench.
With their fourth loss in five games, the Pistons are 1 1/2 games behind the fifth-place Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.
Sacramento, which shot 51.6 percent from the field and 40.7 percent (11 of 27) from 3-point range, moved a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference.
The Kings led 38-37 at the end of the first quarter behind DeRozan and LaVine, who scored a combined 21 points for the period.
Sacramento guard Malik Monk exited late in the opening quarter with left calf soreness and did not return.
Detroit began the second quarter on a 19-4 run and led 56-42 with 7:25 left in the second quarter. DeRozan had 22 points in the first half to lead Sacramento, which trailed 72-62 at intermission. Hardaway led the Pistons with 14 points at the break.
The Kings held a 97-94 lead at the end of the third quarter after LaVine drilled a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining.
Sacramento held the Pistons to 45 points in the second half on 40 percent shooting, including 31.2 percent (5 of 16) from beyond the arc.
LaVine has scored a total of 80 points in the last two games for the Kings, who beat the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113 on Sunday night.
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Tigers mailbag: What will Detroit's roster look like in September?
Tigers mailbag: What will Detroit's roster look like in September?

New York Times

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  • New York Times

Tigers mailbag: What will Detroit's roster look like in September?

DETROIT — The kids are heading back to school. The NFL preseason is underway. The dog days are very much here. August is a strange time in the MLB schedule, where playoff races are coming into focus but the intensity has yet to turn all the way up. September call-ups, crisp nights and decisive games are coming soon. Until then, there's a little more waiting and a lot of baseball left to play. Advertisement Here are answers to reader questions in our latest Tigers mailbag: Questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity Is there another way to read what the Tigers did and did not do at the trade deadline (other) than the front office thinks they overperformed in the first half and are likely to regress in the second, so they don't want to overspend? — Scott R. That's a fun conspiracy theory, but I don't think it's true. If anything, the Tigers seemed defiant in their belief that the team we saw for 90-plus games was very real. Otherwise, they likely would have shown more interest in adding to their position group at the deadline. They didn't exactly go for high-end pitching, but they did add quantity. And they seemed to hope Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows could get up to speed in the second half and make up for any offensive regression elsewhere. It's fair to criticize the Tigers' approach to the deadline. But the lack of big additions doesn't mean management doesn't believe in the current team. Keep in mind the American League is wide open for the taking. With how left-handed the Tigers are and how left-handed all their top prospects are, how valuable do you think that makes Spencer Torkelson? Or, do you still think he's not in their long-term plans? — Rich P. The Tigers' left-handedness isn't an accident. They prefer drafting players who will have the platoon advantage more often than not. But you do have to have some right-handed hitters. HOW BOUT A TORK BOMB — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 12, 2025 Perhaps that makes Torkelson valuable. Tork has done enough to lock down his job for next season. I'm not sure the Tigers are thinking too far beyond that. There are many variables: How will Colt Keith age in the field? How fast will Josue Briceño be ready? How will Tork perform in the future? Right-handed-hitting first basemen tend not to age well. Just look at Christian Walker, a player I liked a lot this winter. The profile is one reason the Tigers opted for Gleyber Torres rather than signing a right-handed first baseman. Advertisement The simplest answer: As long as Torkelson is playing like a 30-homer guy, he should be in the team's plans. He's under team control through 2028. With how short the major-league depth is at SS and CF, and what Scott Harris said in his post-deadline presser about 'some as soon as this year,' is there any chance Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle get a September cameo to see how they look, even if the plan is for them to go back to Toledo next spring? — Dan S. The chance of Clark debuting this year is about zero percent. It wouldn't be like the Tigers to make a player skip Triple A. Clark is off to a good start at Double A but needs more time. In center field, Meadows should be back shortly, Wenceel Pérez is available, Javier Báez can play there and the Tigers haven't ruled Vierling out for the season, so there's not a huge need. McGonigle perhaps has a better chance than Clark to debut, but still a very low percentage. The Tigers seem to believe in Trey Sweeney. There are other infielders, such as Jace Jung and Hao-Yu Lee, in Toledo. McGonigle is an awesome prospect with a hitting profile that should translate well to the major leagues. But keep in mind how badly Torkelson, Riley Greene and Keith struggled early in their careers. I don't see the Tigers throwing a young position player into the fire like that, even if it sounds tempting. Who do you expect to see for September call-ups? Is there a sense of whether they go with need or readiness when they decide to call players up? — Kyle S. It will be a combination of both. Detroit is certain to add a pitcher to the roster in September. In a way, multiple players might get that roster spot given Paul Sewald is expected to come off the IL sometime after Sept. 10. José Urquidy and others, such as Sawyer-Gipson Long, could be candidates, too. But rosters are still capped at 14 pitchers in September. Advertisement If you're looking to see a young pitcher debut before the end of the year, I'd keep an eye on lefty Drew Sommers. On the position-player side, it's harder to know what the Tigers want to do. Might they call up Justyn-Henry Malloy just to have another right-handed bat off the bench? Will they be ready to give Lee a look? Even Max Anderson is probably in line before McGonigle. Do you think A.J. Hinch will ever play Kerry Carpenter and Keith full-time against lefties? Maybe he sees something we fans don't in practice that is holding him back? — Kerry L. The cries for Carpenter to play every day against lefties are getting old. He has had a few more chances this season, and he's hitting only .214 with a .632 OPS. For his career, he's up to 161 at-bats with a .205 average against lefties. With the way the Tigers are constructed, there has to be better performance to merit more chances. In a way, it's clear Hinch views having Carpenter off the bench as a strategic asset, too. Keith was initially viewed as a hitter who would play every day — he hit .305 against left-handed pitching last season. Chances against lefties have been fewer this year in part because others, such as Zach McKinstry, have earned the at-bats. McKinstry is a left-handed hitter with a .900 OPS against left-handed pitching. Keith has just a .367 OPS and no home runs in 45 plate appearances vs. LHP this season. I wouldn't rule out more chances for Keith in the future. But a big part of what Hinch sees is the raw results. A little surprised Malloy has not been recalled yet. What do you see his future as? — Don H. There's a real argument that the Tigers should have brought Malloy up over Sweeney after Vierling's latest trip to the IL. It seems the Tigers preferred to play Báez more in center field and thus wanted to bring up Sweeney as an option at shortstop. Malloy would give the Tigers an extra right-handed bench bat, which has proven helpful at times this year. But it also seems the team's lack of faith in his defense is hurting him. Other players like him get stuck in so-called Four-A status because they're glorified DHs. Advertisement I still love Malloy's offensive profile, but it's worth noting the Tigers need him to be a power hitter. As good as he's been in Toledo (.892 OPS), he also has only five home runs. How do you see the bullpen shaking out once Alex Lange, Jose Urquidy, Alex Cobb and Sawyer Gipson-Long all come back (pretend no one else gets injured) — Chris H. Well, it will probably take some injuries for all those guys to get on the roster. Lange still needs to improve his strike-throwing in Toledo. Cobb might still be a long shot to make it back. The Tigers do seem to believe in Urquidy, so it's possible he or Gipson-Long could join the team in a swingman capacity come September. The good news is the Tigers have some candidates with MLB experience to serve as reinforcements. But it's not like the Tigers are counting on all these guys to come back and join the roster at once. Are we going to go through another Bregman saga this offseason, or has that bridge been burned? — Walter D. Oh, boy. We'll have all offseason to talk about this one, but it's fun to speculate a little. If Bregman were to opt out of his Red Sox deal, he would certainly again be a player who checks a lot of boxes for the Tigers. So, too, would Bo Bichette — whose ability to play shortstop (even if it's at a below-average grade) might make him an even better fit. Bregman has been great when healthy this season. But in addition to last year's drama, it's worth remembering he will be a year older. Are the Tigers willing to offer as much as they did last winter? A few other factors to consider: Keith has looked playable at third base. McGonigle and other infield prospects are coming. The Tigers have fared well with this year's position group. And they could also consider a new deal with Torres. It wouldn't be wise with the Tigers to rule out any player just based on how a previous negotiation went. At the very least, they should consider Bregman if he indeed becomes a free agent. (Photo of Kerry Carpenter: Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle

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