Sacramento’s Artest returns to Detroit

Sacramento’s Ron Artest makes his return to The Palace for the first time since the infamous brawl on November 19, 2004 between the Indiana Pacers and Pistons.

The Pistons and Pacers were scheduled to play a competitive game at The Palace. However the contest turned into an out of control melee. Indiana won 97-82, but the game had to be stopped in the final minute because of the fracas, which started on the court and eventually found its way into the seats and included the fans at The Palace. NBA Commissioner David Stern showed no mercy as he suspended then-Pacer Artest for the remainder of the 2004-05 campaign for his part in the brawl and also penalized other key figures in the incident for a significant amount of time.

On January 25, 2006 Sacramento dealt sharp-shooting forward Peja Stojakovic, who is now with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, to the Pacers for Artest.

Sacramento is 1-2 on its four-game road trip. Kevin Martin had a team-high 27 points as the Kings topped the Boston Celtics, 96-91,on Friday at TD Banknorth Garden.

Artest posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who snapped a seven-game skid. Brad Miller added 18 points and seven assists in the win.

The Kings are 5-11 on the road this season. They return home to host the New Jersey Nets on Monday and the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at ARCO Arena

Detroit tries to win back-to-back games for the first time in 2007. Richard Hamilton scored 26 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five assists as the Pistons outlasted the Minnesota Timberwolves, 104-98, in double-overtime at the Target Center.

Chauncey Billups added 25 points and eight assists for the Pistons, who snapped a two-game skid. Rasheed Wallace finished with 18 points and nine boards, while Chris Webber netted 16 on 8-of-12 from the floor in his second game with Detroit.

The Pistons are 10-8 at home this season. They will visit the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the clubs. On November 8th, Martin scored 30 points to lead the Kings to a 99-86 victory over the Pistons at ARCO Arena.

Sacramento has lost two straight and three of its last four at Detroit. The Kings have won four of the last seven meetings in this series.