ORLANDO, Fla – The Orlando Magic won against the Sacramento Kings 121-91 on Saturday night in the Kia Center. This is the largest margin of victory for the Magic this year, and the second largest under Coach Jamahl Mosley.
Paolo Banchero led the game with 24 points, with Franz Wagner close behind with 21. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 21 points. In the month of March, Banchero has averaged 30.1 points, the most in the Eastern Conference.
“I think [Banchero] is trying to make the right plays,” Mosley said. “For his standard, I think he can probably knock more free throws down. But again, just continues to keep his effort going. That’s very important for him as we continue to move forward.”
With the win, Orlando has locked up a spot in the Play-In Tournament in April. However, the Magic have a chance to make the playoffs as well, bypassing the tourney.
“We’re not done,” Mosley said. “That’s what we have to continue to focus on, one game at a time.”
Quarter-By-Quarter Flow
First Quarter
The Magic were selfless to start the game as 10 of their 14 baskets were assisted on. Banchero led the team with three assists in the quarter, with Goga Bitadze close behind with two. Both Banchero and Bitadze ended the first quarter with eight points and another three Orlando players had six.
Orlando also shot uncharacteristically well from behind the arc, making five first quarter threes. Two of those came from bench forward Caleb Houstan, marking the fourth time he has achieved this feat in the last five games.
“I think his consistent work ethic has helped him,” Mosley said. “He’s one of the hardest workers we have. He just stays consistent with that, whether he’s playing two minutes or 22 minutes. He’s going to be the same.”
For the Kings, it was a different story. In the first, they only had three assists. Their scoring mainly came from their stars Domantas Sabonis and DeRozan. Their scoring made up 17 of Sacramento’s points in the first. They also went 0-for-6 when shooting from deep. This poor shooting allowed Orlando to amass a 38-21 lead after 12 minutes.
Second Quarter
To start the second quarter, Orlando honored former Magic Markelle Fultz. Fultz, a member of the Magic for five seasons, signed with the Kings last month. He was met with a standing ovation from the Orlando crowd when he checked into the game.
The Magic picked up right where they left off in the second period. Both Banchero and Wagner scored five points, and Houstan hit another three. The team also racked up seven more assists, bringing their total to 17 at the half.
The story for Sacramento was much the same. DeRozan led the game with 12 second quarter points, with Keegan Murray putting up six of his own. Sacramento’s bench provided almost nothing for them in the first half, only mustering four bench points compared to Orlando’s 27. Despite winning the quarter, the Kings still trailed the Magic 61-46 at the half.
“I think our second unit was great,” Mosley said. “I think when they stepped into the game, they had so much energy, so much pop. There was just a great energy about the way in which they played off of each other off one another. I thought it was just really great how they provided that for us tonight.”
Third Quarter
The Kings started the third off hot, with Murray and DeRozan knocking down back-to-back threes. However, only three minutes into the third quarter, they put Orlando into the bonus. These quick fouls sparked the Magic offense, who proceeded to go on a 26-5 run over the next six minutes. Orlando had six points from the charity stripe during the run.
Most of the Magic’s points during this stretch came from three pointers, having four makes during the run. Orlando ended the game with 18 makes, marking the fourth game in the month of March where they made 15+ threes.
“We have great shooters in this team, nobody can say that we don’t,” Bitadze said. “Some games, it just hasn’t been great for us this year. So when you hit a couple of shots, then it’s so smooth. I feel like we can beat anybody like that.”
Sacramento was able to settle in after they accrued a large deficit. Malik Monk cashed in five points in three minutes, with Doug McDermott splashing in a three as well. Yet, the Kings still had no answer for Banchero, as he alone went on a six point scoring run to end the quarter. Orlando outscored Sacramento 37-20 during the third quarter, which led to a 98-66 Magic lead.
Fourth Quarter
With the Magic having a 32 point lead, Coach Mosley emptied the bench. None of Orlando’s starters played in the final 12 minutes of the contest. Trevelin Queen checked into the game, getting his first real minutes for the first time in a month.
Sacramento soon followed suit, as after the first three minutes of the fourth, their starters left the contest. Fultz made his first shot of the game with his patented free throw line jumper, with Orlando’s crowd erupting in cheers. The Kings once again won the quarter, but it was too little too late.
The Magic finished the game shooting 50% from the field and 46.2% from three. This mark from three is their second highest on the season behind their game in Sacramento earlier this year. On the season, the Magic shoot a league-low 31.3% from deep. In games against the Kings this year, Orlando shot an average of 48.9% from behind the arc.
Next up
The Magic look to end their homestand with a win against the red-hot Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers have won 10 of their last 12 games, and are looking to secure a playoff spot in the West.
“The Clippers are coming in here, our focus needs to be on the Clippers now, and understand exactly what we need to do for that game at home,” Mosley said. “We’ll have to take a look at film and see what they’re doing. They play tomorrow night in Cleveland, so I think our ability to study the game tomorrow and study some film.”
Tip-off against the Clippers is at 7:00 p.m. on Mar. 31.