To those who questioned whether the Detroit Pistons could win some games with Allen Iverson on their roster, Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings probably silenced the critics of the 12-year veteran; Iverson scored 30 points, leading Detroit to a 100-92 victory over Sacramento at Arco Arena; the Kings were without the services of shooting guard Kevin Martin, who will be out 7-to-10 days with a sprained ankle.

Richard Hamilton, fighting a scoring slump as of late, drained a 3-pointer late in the first quarter yet the Pistons trailed the Kings 31-18 going into the second quarter.  Detroit would man-up defensively and slowly chip away at Sacramento’s lead, with both teams tied at 50 at halftime.  The Kings had the lead at 77-75 going into the final period but they would go scoreless for 5 minutes midway through the quarter.

Iverson hit a key 3-pointer for Detroit, but they couldn’t quite pull away; with their lead at two with just under 2 minutes remaining, the Pistons’ Tayshaun Prince was fouled and then he made a pair of free throws, giving Detroit a 94-90 lead.  A turnover by Sacramento’s Beno Udrih enabled Hamilton to score a give-and-go basket, pushing the Pistons’ lead to 6 – icing the game.  Iverson led the Pistons’ scorers with 30 points (including 3 treys), 7 rebounds, 9 assists,  and 2 steals while Prince added 26 with 11 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal; Hamilton chipped in, scoring 17 with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

Sacramento was led by Spencer Hawes from off the bench as he scored 19 with 6 rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot while Udrih added 18 with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal; rookie Jason Thompson, making his first start, scored 15 with 9 rebounds.  Detroit (5-2) plays again on Thursday as they make the very short trip west on I-80 as they take on the Golden State Warriors while Sacramento flies south to Los Angeles to face the Clippers – also on Wednesday night.