Orlando Magic Grades: Sacramento Kings 107, Orlando Magic 99
The Orlando Magic slowed down the Sacramento Kings some. But their offense could not keep up as mistakes down the stretch doomed them in the end.
38. Final. 107. 84. 99
The Orlando Magic somehow had scratched and clawed their way back into the game against the pace-happy, offensive-minded Sacramento Kings. The team was scratching and clawing, erasing shots behind Mohamed Bamba‘s gargantuan length and the gritty effort from Aaron Gordon.
For a team that was struggling to generate points, those fast-break opportunities mattered the most for this group. They were easy points in a game where nothing came easy.
But it would still come down to half-court execution. Every game does in the end. Fast-breaking basketball only gets a team so far. And the team would have to find shots somewhere on a night where open shots refused to fall.
Jonathon Simmons was looking for someone to inbound the ball, could not find anyone and flung the ball toward the backcourt. The Magic could not catch up and De’Aaron Fox stole the ball and raced in a for a foul, getting the points after Mohamed Bamba blocked the layup too late. That made it a five-point game.
Coming out of a timeout the next possession, Bamba was trying to execute a dribble handoff and turned it over. The Kings were back in control and the Magic were scrambling to find offense. That was not coming as the Kings pulled away to defeat the Magic 107-99 at Amway Center on Tuesday.
Orlando shot 39.6 percent from the floor and 11 of 43 from beyond the arc (25.6 percent), once again setting a franchise record for 3-point attempts in a game. The Magic again got good looks and simply could not get them to fall.
And as the offense struggled, the Kings took control, using a 26-16 third quarter to take the lead. Then using seven fourth-quarter turnovers, many in the final five minutes to cement the victory.
Orlando’s defense may have been more game and more active and energetic to get a win. But the offense simply could not create enough shots to give the team a chance.
A-. Mohamed Bamba had his most aggressive game defensively this season, putting together five blocks and a steal through 24 minutes. He was overzealous on a few attempts, garnering goaltending calls in two separate occasions. But that aggression is a good thing for a young player. Especially one still feeling his way through the league.<p>This was the first game Bamba has played in against fellow 2018 draft class member <a rel=. C. Orlando Magic. MOHAMED BAMBA
A. Though taking a heavily contested shot late in the game was not ideal to the Orlando Magic’s comeback, <a rel=. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS
AARON GORDON. B. 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists.<p>Aaron Gordon is continually making it look good on the box score and had (like any game) his fair share of highlight plays. But some odd shot selections and traveling violations blur what could have been a cleaner game for him.</p><p>His effort at moments is great, maybe a product of coach <a href=. F. Orlando Magic
C-. <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. EVAN FOURNIER
5-3. 8th West. SACRAMENTO KINGS. B+. The Sacramento Kings are one of the early surprises of the NBA with a strong 5-3 record and their longest win streak in some years. All the credit for that has to go to coach Dave Joerger and the style and culture he seems to be building. The Kings want to run off everything and swarm and harass players on defense.<p>This will lead to plenty of mistakes and the team is far from perfect. But the Kings sure seem to have embraced a fun and engaging identity. And this game was about as good as the team could hope for.</p><p>Even with the Orlando Magic playing strong defense against them, the Sacramento Kings gutted out a win on a back-to-back. De’Aaron Fox had 14 points and five assists for an off night. But <a rel=
Next. Jonathan Isaac starting to feel more comfortable. dark
The Orlando Magic are next in action Friday against the LA Clippers at the Amway Center.