The Orlando Magic look to build off a big win against the Golden State Warriors by defeating the struggling Sacramento Kings in a battle of teams still finding their way this year.
Orlando Magic (2-7) vs. Sacramento Kings (2-5)
Time/TV: 5 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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Line: Kings by 3.5
Tickets: $13-$2,075 on StubHub
Season Series: Tonight in Orlando; Jan. 7 in San Francisco
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | 101.3 | 112.2 | 114.2 | 55.8 | 24.8 | 15.4 | 27.2 |
| Orlando | 100.1 | 108.6 | 112.9 | 52.2 | 27.9 | 16.0 | 31.5 |
OMD Prediction
Tonight’s game for the Orlando Magic might be more important than Thursday’s win over the Golden State Warriors for a number of reasons.
First, it is really easy to get up to play Stephen Curry and the defending champions. Knowing you have to focus against them should be a given. It is a lot harder to play the Sacramento Kings (no offense to the Kings).
Second, the Magic want to build on good habits and actually have a win streak. So coming in with the right focus and doing the same things is important to building the habits and the winning identity the team wants.
The Kings are in the same boat. They are a fairly young roster that has gotten off to a slower-than-expected start. They play hard and whistle-to-whistle like the Magic. Getting De’Aaron Fox back from injury today — he is listed as QUESTIONABLE — will be a big boost to Sacramento too.
3 Keys To Watch
Home cooking
The Orlando Magic are certainly happy to be back at the Amway Center, as most young teams would be. They have played their three best games to this point on the Amway Center parquet and that much is clear. The Magic want to keep building momentum on the home court.
The numbers are pretty staggering. Orlando has the third-best home offensive rating at 119.8 points per 100 possessions. Their +5.7 net rating at home is 11th in the league. OK, so that is only in three games. Not exactly a representative sample. But it is extremely encouraging.
The team’s shooting at home has experienced a notable uptick, flipping one of the Magic’s biggest overall weaknesses. Orlando has a 57.4 percent effective field goal percentage at the Amway Center, fifth in the league. Orlando is making 37.6 percent of the team’s 3-pointers at Amway Center.
That is more than enough to win if the team can keep it up. Home cooking indeed.
Fox in the hen house
The Orlando Magic have long struggled with De’Aaron Fox. Speedy point guards like him forever put Nikola Vucevic and the team’s drop coverage in a blender. This is not the same kind of defense but Fox’s career average of 19.1 points per game in seven career games does not quite get to the impact he has had.
It certainly does not with the way that he has played so far this year. In six games this year, Fox is averaging 24.5 points per game while shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. Adding that three-point shot is a big boost to his game and makes his speed all the more dangerous.
The Kings are a dangerous offensive team with De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and now rookie Keegan Murray. They are still figuring some things out. But they have the one player who can really put pressure on defenses.
To the line
Like the Orlando Magic’s constant drumbeat of turnovers costing them games, coach Steve Kerr said the reason the Golden State Warriors lost on Thursday was because of the Orlando Magic’s parade to the foul line.
The Magic took 46 free throws. This was a key to keeping the team in the game.
That kind of game is still enough to really warp the Magic’s overall number for the season. It is still early in the season, after all.
But it is part of a bigger trend for the Magic. Orlando has been comfortably in the top 10 in free throw rate the entire season so far. The Magic have not been outside of the bottom five since the Dwight Howard trade.
Orlando is third in the league with 26.6 free throw attempts per game. Paolo Banchero is 10th in the league 8.0 free throw attempts per game. That is incredible for a rookie and almost single-handedly lifting the Magic’s free throw attempts up this season.
For a team that has historically and still struggles to score consistently, having the ability to get to the line is enough to bring some stability. It is something the team should be leaning on this season.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.