Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 132, Sacramento Kings 116
The Orlando Magic dominated from start to finish, finding everything working on offense and a tough defense to move to 2-0 inside the campus.
116. 84. 132. 38. Final
From the tip, the Orlando Magic had absolutely everything going on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings.
It started with a first quarter in which the Magic tied a franchise record for points in a period with 44. Aaron Gordon set the tone early by attacking the basket at will. Terrence Ross made open 3-pointers,. And Markelle Fultz made each and every one of his four mid-range jump shots in the quarter.
Markelle Fultz capped the quarter off in style with a miraculous shot from three-quarters court that swished in to give the Magic a 44-26 advantage.
From there, they would not even come close to relinquishing the lead. Both the starters and the second unit were in dominant form against the Kings, who were completely stymied by the Magic defense and were held without a fastbreak point through the first three quarters.
The Magic coasted to a 132-116 win, the final deficit only made close by a full quarter’s worth of garbage time for the second straight game in the seeding round.
De’Aaron Fox, the Kings’ primary threat offensively, was held to just 13 points thanks to the work of Michael Carter-Williams and the other Magic point guards. They did a great job of staying in front and, since the Magic were able to shoot 60 percent for most of the game, finishing at 52 percent, the Kings were not able to get out in transition. That cut off a big part of the Kings’ offense.
It was an efficient and proficient night for the Magic offense, who have now scored 120 points in five straight games for the first time in franchise history.
For a team that was not supposed to be regarded for its offense, the team’s ability to score the ball has been prolific dating back before the hiatus due to the aggressiveness of Aaron Gordon on this night, Evan Fournier’s ability to shoot on other nights, Terrence Ross’ hot shooting and Nikola Vucevic’s consistency pretty much every night.
Nikola Vucevic had a fantastic opening to the second half, as he scored 12 points in the period and finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds with a couple made threes as the Magic put their foot down and prevented any kind of run from the Kings.
However, on a night with so many positives, the Magic did have to deal with a scary moment as Jonathan Isaac reaggravated his injury to his left knee in the fourth quarter. Isaac was carted off the court in a wheelchair after his knee buckled on a step-through move through the lane. Isaac and his teammates were visibly shaken as he left the floor.
Coach Steve Clifford said after the game that he is hopeful it is not as bad as it looked, but nobody will know until he is examined further.
It put a pall on an otherwise celebratory night for a team rolling early on this season.
A. Aaron Gordon got everything going for the Orlando Magic in this game. He was able to do basically whatever he wanted and attacked the basket ferociously in the first quarter. Gordon scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half. And he used that inside play, where he made 8 of his 12 shots overall, to set up his outside shot.<p>He even made all three of his 3-point attempts in what was a very efficient performance. Gordon had his rhythm going and nothing was stopping him.</p><p>He got in a few spots where he dribbled too much, but he played with confidence. That is what the team wants from him. He shot the ball with conviction, and when going to the basket, he did so with intensity and knew he was going to score. He had the look of a player that wanted to score 40, and he probably could have had it been a closer game.</p>. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
A-. It was a typical performance from Nikola Vucevic, as he crowded the paint, scored with a good touch and dished to shooters when he had the opportunity. Vucevic finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He worked the pick and roll with <a rel=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
A. Terrence Ross was one of the players who was able to really extend the lead and showcase the dominance on display for the Orlando Magic on Sunday. At one point, the Magic were shooting 15 for 25 (60 percent) from three — finishing at 18 for 38 (47 percent). Ross converted six of those 18.<p>He was hot from the get-go as he made his first shot of the night and went 5 for 9 from beyond the arc and 6 for 10 from the field. He was the team’s leading scorer on the night with 25 as the team was able to spread the wealth around pretty well.</p><p>But on a night when the team scored so much, the team’s leading scorer has to get a very good grade here. Ross is a potent offensive player, and when he gets going, the Magic are very dangerous. That second unit can pose problems for teams defensively, and when Ross can score for that unit, they can begin to take advantage in the game that gives opposing teams fits.</p>. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS
A-. It was a fantastic first half for Markelle Fultz, and his improvement in the mid-range game has impressed. He was smooth and efficient with his stroke on Sunday, hitting six of his nine from the field, scoring 14 points and dishing out three assists.<p>When he came to the Magic, his jump shot was a work in progress, and it just shows the improvement that he’s made in his time with the club. He moved around the lane and shot confidently, using his dribble to create separation and pull up.</p><p>Fultz was energetic defensively, flying around and helping the Magic’s dominant defensive performance through the first three quarters. More importantly, his minutes bumped up to nearly 20 minutes as he gets closer to full conditioning.</p>. G. Orlando Magic. MARKELLE FULTZ
D. The Sacramento Kings did not look very good on the night, leaving the Orlando Magic open for threes on many different occasions and allowing the team to chew them up and spit them out for most of the game. Orlando dictated every moment of the game and Sacramento was left scrambling and forcing offense to try to catch up.<p>Kings fans online were frustrated with the performance. This was not a team that is in the middle of a playoff race and desperately needing wins to force the play-in game. The Magic had a 35-point lead entering the third quarter before the deep bench came in for the Magic and made the game closer.</p><p>Harry Giles had a promising performance scoring 23, but other than that the team did not have much going. De’Aaron Fox finished with 13 points but more turnovers than assists. Buddy Hield added 12 too, but he made only two of his seven 3-point attempts.</p>. 28-38. 12th West. SACRAMENTO KINGS
Next. Orlando Magic need the glue guys to get through tough schedule. dark
The Magic are now on a season-high five-game win streak and are 32-35 this season. They lead the Brooklyn Nets by one-half game for the seventh-seed in the Eastern Conference. The Orlando Magic will clinch a playoff spot with three wins or three Washington Wizards losses.