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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- After having his worst game in a Detroit Pistons uniform earlier in the week, free agent Josh Smith erased that memory with his best game Friday night. Smith had 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the struggling Pistons, who snapped a four-game skid with a 97-90 victory over the Sacramento Kings. The Pistons built a 10-point advantage after three quarters and their lead remained in double figures for much of the fourth as Detroit won its first road game of the season. Smith also contributed on the defensive end with five steals and four blocks. He was coming off a two-point game in a lopsided loss at Golden State on Tuesday, when the veteran forward made 1 of 6 shots in 19 minutes. Against the Kings, Smith had a fast start at the offensive end and stayed active throughout. He made 6 of 11 shots, hit two 3-pointers, and connected on 7 of 10 free throws. "Thats the way Josh plays. He scored, rebounded and had four blocks," Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said. "Thats the way we need Josh to play. He was spectacular tonight." Smith was active right away, getting five points, but more importantly, five assists in igniting the Pistons running game and building a 27-21 lead after one quarter. Detroit had started slow in its previous two games, especially in the loss to Golden State, which led by 19 points heading into the second quarter. "It was vital to our success to start the tempo early," Smith said. "We knew it would be a loud crowd out there and we wanted to set the tone early." Andre Drummond was also a major factor for Detroit. In a game-long battle with Kings centre DeMarcus Cousins, Drummond fared well, getting 15 points and tieing a career-high with 18 rebounds. Drummond, who teams with Greg Monroe to give Detroit a strong inside game, was active at both ends of the court. He made 7 of 13 shots and had eight offensive rebounds and two steals. Cousins had a strong game as well with 26 points and 13 rebounds. "DeMarcus Cousins is a heck of a player," Drummond said. "I knew what I was getting myself into tonight. Hes one of the best centres in the league, but I think I did a pretty good job against him." Isaiah Thomas had 18 points and seven assists and Greivis Vasquez had 13 points for the Kings, who have lost six of seven. Sacramento entered the game averaging the fewest turnovers per game in the NBA, but committed 17 against an aggressive Detroit defence. "You cant win games if you consistently beat yourself," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "This is one of the few games this year that we turned the ball over at a high rate. The worst part about it was they seemed to score on every turnover we committed." Rodney Stuckey scored 16 points for Detroit, which concludes a four-game trip Sunday against the Lakers. Brandon Jennings had 11 points and nine assists, and Kyle Singler added 11 points. A jumper by Stuckey and a basket by Drummond gave the Pistons a 95-82 lead with 3:02 remaining. The Kings, who have a habit of rallying in the fourth quarter and making games close, were unable to put together a significant run in the fourth to the disappointment of a sellout crowd that stayed around until the final seconds. "We didnt focus on (the crowd) and we didnt talk about this being an ESPN game and all that was going on," Cheeks said. The Pistons went ahead by 14 points on a 3 by Smith early in the fourth quarter. Drummond and Smith had seven points apiece in the third quarter and the Pistons scored the final six points of the period to take an 80-70 lead into the fourth. The Pistons outscored the Kings 26-19 in the third. "We gave them too many second chances by giving the ball away and offensive rebounds," said Vasquez, who had eight turnovers. "Weve got to give them credit. They played better at the end and they got the win." NOTES: Inspired by Sacramentos only scheduled nationally televised TV game, a raucous sellout crowd at Sleep Train Arena set a Guinness world record for loudest noise at an indoor arena at 124.5 decibels. ... The Kings had a season-high seven turnovers in the first quarter and trailed 27-21. . Veteran Pistons guard Chauncey Billups missed the game due to a sore knee. He is day to day. Rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made his first start of the season in Billups place. ... Kings reserve forward Patrick Patterson left the game in the opening half with knee contusion and didnt return. . Malone got his first technical of the season in the second quarter for arguing a no-call against Cousins. Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys . -- Kevin Stadler might be playing in the Masters for the first time, but hes already showing his old man a thing or two. Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys China .S. - Nova Scotias Mary Fay guaranteed at least one more match and a shot at the Canadian junior curling championships final on home ice. http://www.cheapbluejacketsjerseys.com/.Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly. Wholesale Blue Jackets Jerseys . Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys .com) - Even on the day his New Hampshire football team became the nations top-ranked team two weeks ago, coach Sean McDonnell conceded something about the team they replaced at No.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - They endured it together, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon. All those years with 90 losses, the managerial changes and youth movements and empty seats come late September.Empty seats in July and August, too.They were supposed to be the two players who led the Kansas City Royals back to the playoffs. Butler was the standout high school prospect who couldnt run well and struggled with his glove, but my, how he could hit. And Gordon was the best player in college baseball when the Royals plucked him out of Nebraska, a sure-fire All-Star one day.Well, that day has finally arrived. After seven years of building and rebuilding, Butler and Gordon are reveling in the Royals first post-season appearance since 1985.For the fans, 30 years without feels like a lifetime. Its an eternity to me, Butler said. Kansas City deserves everything theyre getting and we want to give it to them.The Royals open the best-of-seven AL Championship Series on Friday night in Baltimore having already given thousands of fans plenty of post-season thrills.There was the 12-inning walk-off win over Oakland in the wild-card game at Kauffman Stadium. There was the pair of 11-inning wins against the Angels in Los Angeles. And there was the clinching game back in Kansas City, an 8-3 romp that kicked off a citywide party.Butler and Gordon have been gleefully in the midst of it all.This is personal for us, Butler said. It started all the way back when we got drafted. Thats what they envisioned when they drafted us. Going through some bad times, Ive been with this team for 10 years, building toward this.Its been a challenging road filled with pitfalls and potholes, and more than once it looked as though neither Butler nor Gordon would see the fruits of their labour.Butler established himself as a solid hitter early in his career, but his limited ability on the base paths and in the field hampered his value. Butler finally made an All-Star game in 2012, when it was played in Kansas City, but the past couple of seasons have been a struggle.He was hitting just .235 in late-May, a disaster by his lofty standards. And late in the season, Butler found himself sitting on the bench for critical games in a pennant chase.Of course, he would risee to the occasion when the post-season rolled around.ddddddddddddButler had a pair of hits in the victory over the As. And while he went 0 for 9 against the Angels, he managed three walks and even stole a base, his first in two years.Weve believed in Billy all along, Royals manager Ned Yost said.The same could be said of Gordon, the second overall pick in the 2005 draft a€” one year after Butler went in the first round. He was rushed to the majors two years later as the heir to George Brett at third base and soon fizzled out, spending the next couple years vacillating between the majors and minors while trying out a variety of positions.He finally stuck when he landed in left field, and in 2011 hit .303 and earned the first of three consecutive gold gloves. He made his first All-Star game last year, and his second this season, when he hit .266 with 19 homers and again played a masterful left field.Gordon atoned for a 0-for-5 performance against Oakland by beating up the Angels, going 3 for 10 with a pair of doubles and scoring twice. It was his bases-loaded double in the first inning of Game 3 on Sunday night that spurred the Royals to the series clincher.Gordo, hands-down leader of this ballclub, third baseman Mike Moustakas said. For him to go out there in a huge situation like that, after were down one, drive in three runs, it just gave us so much confidence going into the rest of that game.Gordon has slowly evolved into the face of the franchise, yet hes a reluctant star who speaks quietly but carries a big stick. He rarely gets too excitable, nor does he ever get too down. And when he is asked about his personal performance this post-season, he quickly defers the credit to general manager Dayton Moore for sticking with him all these years.Dayton has done a great job moulding this team to where it is now, Gordon said. He really got the right pieces in through the draft and through the trade with James Shields and Wade Davis. Things are really starting to come together. Give a lot of credit to Dayton.Give a lot of credit to Butler and Gordon, too.Were about now, Gordon said. Its been a struggle, but were here now. It doesnt matter who does it as long as someone does it and we get the win. 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