The skinny: The Pistons hope to end their five-game West Coast trip Sunday at Sacramento with a winning record. The Pistons fell to 2-2 on the trip and 6-3 overall Friday in a loss to the Lakers. The Kings are 3-6 with all three wins coming at Arco Arena, including Friday's 123-118 double-overtime win over the Knicks. Kings third-year guard Kevin Martin scored a career-high 43 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. A familiar Pistons foe, Ron Artest, has completed his seven-game NBA suspension for off-court matters and has looked good in his first two games of 2007-08. He scored 28 against the Knicks and had 17 points and six assists in a loss to Minnesota.

What to watch: Don't expect to see Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess on the floor again until they're at The Palace. The hobbled vets need not risk any setbacks now, with only the last four games of November all at home.

The point-guard matchup is a wash with Sacramento starter Mike Bibby out for several weeks with a left thumb injury. But with a trio of 7-footers in former All-Star Brad Miller, former Piston Mikki Moore and rookie Spencer Hawes, McDyess' interior defense will be missed.

That is unless Jason Maxiell can curb his early foul trouble, which limited his effectiveness in Los Angeles. The Pistons were outscored by 23 points during the 23 minutes he played. Amir Johnson and Cheikh Samb drew pleasant reviews from head coach Flip Saunders and their teammates for stepping up in L.A. Whether it translates to more playing time remains to be seen. And while there are not many favorable matchups around the NBA for a pure pivot like Nazr Mohammed right now, Sacramento might be one of them. He played only three minutes against L.A.

Probable Starters

Prince Maxiell Wallace Hamilton Murray Forward Forward Center Guard Guard Garcia Moore Miller Salmons Martin