DeMar DeRozan leading the Kings back from the dead

After a humiliating 137-103 loss to their Northern California rivals capped off a seven-game losing streak, the Sacramento Kings looked like the worst team in the NBA. Five days later, 35-year-old DeMar DeRozan has led the Kings to three straight wins over three title contenders.

DeRozan scored a game-high 27 points in the Kings' 112-101 win over the New York Knicks Wednesday. During their three-game win streak, DeRozan has averaged 27 points while shooting 60.4% from the floor and going 22-for-24 from the foul line.

DeMar DeRozan is leading a Kings team that's suddenly discovered defense

Through their first 38 games, the Kings were giving up 122.1 points per game to opponents. In their last three wins, they've given up 103.7 points per game, while facing three top-10 offenses.

Some of that may be due to their new oversized lineup featuring Precious Achiuwa alongside rookie center Maxime Raynaud. They've also been giving playing time to another rookie center, Dylan Cardwell, part of how the Kings managed to out-rebound the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks this week. The Kings had seven fewer rebounds than the Los Angeles Lakers in their win, but primarily because they hardly missed a shot, making 65% of their three-pointers and 59% of their shots overall.

One way that center-heavy rotation works is by DeRozan playing with incredible efficiency. Not only is DeRozan making most of his shots, taken almost exclusively from the mid-range, he's also getting to the foul line at a high rate. His one three-pointer of the streak put him past Kevin Garnett for 22nd place on the all-time scoring list.