DETROIT — In his second outing back from a six-game absence, Cade Cunningham looked much sharper Monday night than he did in Saturday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The All-Star guard appeared to have shaken off the rust, creating shots for himself and facilitating for others. He finished with 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting along with five assists.

But his efforts weren’t enough.

Three of Sacramento’s stars combined for 99 points, and a second-half surge helped the Kings rally from an 18-point deficit to beat the Pistons, 127–117, at Little Caesars Arena.

As Cunningham worked to regain his rhythm in the offense, Detroit leaned on solid performances from Tim Hardaway Jr. and second-year forward Ausar Thompson. Both were instrumental in helping the Pistons take the fight to the Kings early. Detroit outscored Sacramento 29-10 in the first eight minutes of the second quarter and led 66-48 at halftime.

Hardaway finished with 19 points, while Thompson added 15 points on an efficient 7-of-13 shooting night.

Detroit also got contributions off the bench. Malik Beasley scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and Marcus Sasser chipped in with eight points of his own.

Sacramento began to turn the tide late in the second quarter and never looked back. DeMar DeRozan helped close the gap by scoring 12 of his 37 points in the second quarter, and Zach LaVine — who had struggled early — caught fire in the third.

LaVine scored 13 of his 43 points in the third quarter, capped by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Kings a 97-94 lead heading into the fourth.

LaVine stayed hot in the final period, drilling three straight 3-pointers to start the quarter and keep Sacramento in front. Meanwhile, Domantas Sabonis quietly dominated, finishing with a triple-double: 19 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Kings’ bench also made key contributions. Jonas Valanciunas posted 10 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie Devon Carter added seven points and played a pivotal role in Sacramento’s comeback push.

Still, the Pistons had chances late. Rookie Ron Holland cut the deficit to one with a layup at the 5:43 mark. But questionable shot selection, missed free throws, and a dagger 3-pointer from LaVine with 1:29 remaining pushed Sacramento’s lead to 125-111 and sealed Detroit’s fate.

The Pistons will have a few days off before returning to action Thursday night, when they host the Eastern Conference No. 3 seed, the New York Knicks. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.