The Sacramento Kings' got their offensive firepower going early, and for the first time in three games their opponent couldn't keep up. The Kings hit a franchise record 23 three pointers and Harrison Barnes finished with 30 points on 11 of 13 shooting as the Kings (21-18) cruised to a 136-111 blowout of the Orlando Magic (15-26).
After close home loses to the Hawks and Lakers over the weekend, it was good to see the Kings take control of the game early and never relent - Sacramento took the lead at 10-9 with 9:07 to go in the first and never trailed again. And while the Kings defensive effort and awareness struggled in long stretches tonight and may not have held up against a playoff team, it held the young Magic at bay and right at their season scoring average (110.4).
Domantas Sabonis finished with 12 points, 10 boards, and 8 assists, while De'Aaron Fox had 11 points and 9 assists. While the two combined to shoot just 10 of 25 from the field, their combined playmaking was huge as the Kings had 8 players finish in double-figures and the team shot 53.6% from the field and 50% from deep. The squad showed up offensively even when the stars were struggling with their shots. Barnes' 30 points, which included 6 three pointers, was huge - the Black Falcon seemed to make a big three every time the Magic showed any aggression.
To Sacramento's credit, they also won the battle on the boards - a 48 to 41 rebounding advantage - and outscored Orlando in the paint 46 to 41. The Magic had big advantages in the paint and on the glass in their first matchup in Orlando in early November, so it was good to see the Kings make some real improvements.
Rookie-of-the-year favorite Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Wendell Carter Jr. made Sabonis' life difficult in the post, and finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Markelle Fultz had 16 points and 5 assists on 8-10 shooting. Orlando's young, positionless squad has the pieces for a real run in a year or so, but couldn't keep up with the Kings tonight.
Keegan Murray had 15 points, 3 boards, and 3 assists with 5 made threes, while Malik Monk came back after his one game absence to score 14 points with 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The Kings bench had some real bright spots offensively tonight, especially from the big-man duo of Trey Lyles (14 points and 5 boards) and Chimezie Metu (11 points and 9 rebounds).
The Kings will now face two straight home games on Wednesday and Friday against the Houston Rockets, who sit at the bottom of the NBA standings at 10-30.
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