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- Season Series:Â Magic 131, Kings 94 in Sacramento on Feb. 19; Tonight in Orlando
Orlando Magic vs. Sacramento Kings: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
Saramento | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
100.3 | Pace | 100.0 |
110.0 | Off. Rtg. | 114.6 |
120.1 | Def. Rtg. | 113.8 |
52.2 | eFG% | 53.0 |
29.1 | O.Reb.% | 30.5 |
14.1 | TO% | 13.5 |
25.6 | FTR | 30.4 |
1. 3-Point Luck?
If you are a team struggling to make or generate 3-pointers, the Sacramento Kings might be the team you want to face.
The Sacramento Kings gave up 26-for-55 3-point shooting in the 134-90 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets will eviscerate any team that is not locked in on stopping threes defensively -- or giving up offensive rebounds.
It was the third time this season the Kings gave up 25 or more three-pointers in a game. Sacramento is 20th in the league, giving up 13.7 3-pointers per game and 29th in the league giving up 37.5 percent shooting from deep.
As good as the Charlotte Hornets were from deep, it still did not beat the Orlando Magic's 27 for 50 effort in their win in Sacramento coming out of the All-Star break.
The Magic should be able to get their threes up against the Kings. But that should also bring some warning.
This is not a good 3-point shooting team. And on this six-game losing streak, the Magic have jumped to 40.8 3-point attempts per game, seventh in the league among teams' last six games -- and 27th in percentage at 33.8 percent.
Sacramento will concede threes. The Magic need to make sure they are good ones.
2. To the Maxime
The Sacramento Kings do not have a lot of bright spots this season. And injuries have only put them further into the hole. So it is important for them to note the one bright spot -- and for the Orlando Magic to hone in on that player.
Rookie Maxime Raynaud was on a lot of radars during the draft last year but the questions about his mobility and interior toughness were one of the big reasons why he fell to the second round. It ignored a lot of the offensive skill that he put on display.
Raynaud has parlayed that into what should ben all-rookie team season. He is averaging 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this year, which hardly seems noteworthy.
But since the All-Star break, he is up to 17.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He has two 30-point games, both coming last week, and five 25-point games.
In March, Raynaud is averaging 18.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. That is something the Kings can hold onto as they try to figure out how to rebuild out of their mess.
3. Just one win?
For the Orlando Magic, it feels like they just need to get the winning feeling back to relieve some tension and gain some confidence. Momentum is the next day's pitcher and so win will not necessarily lead to the next one. But it sure would help.
Coach Jamahl Mosley and the players have emphasized that they feel they are doing a lot of the right things. And it is just a matter of getting all the pieces together, defending with more intensity, and doing it all for 48 minutes. That has been a struggle.
There is no magic wand to fix this. It is about will. And this team has struggled with that all season. They get frustrated and let mistakes balloon.
The fact is that there is no margin for error now -- Orlando, for the moment, is 10th in the East. There is no room for mistakes. The pressure is at its highest. So anything the team can do to relieve that pressure is necessary.
Orlando Magic vs. Sacramento Kings: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
- Domantas Sabonis - OUT (Left Knee Meniscus Repair)
- Zach LaVine - OUT (Right 5th Finger Tendon Repair)
- Keegan Murray - OUT (Left Ankle Sprain)
- Russell Westbrook - OUT (Right Toe Joint Irritation)
- De'Andre Hunter - OUT (Left Eye Retinal Repair)
- Nique Clifford - OUT (Left Midfoot Sprain)
- Precious Achiuwa - QUESTIONABLE (Lower Back Soreness)
- Drew Eubanks - OUT (Left Thumb UCL Repair)
- Killian Hayes - QUESTIONABLE (Left Toe Inflammation)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Franz Wagner - OUT (Left High Ankle Sprain Injury Management)
- Jalen Suggs - QUESTIONABLE (Illness)
- Anthony Black - OUT (Left Lateral Abdominal Strain)
- Jonathan Isaac - OUT (Left Knee Sprain)
- Colin Castleton - OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Projected Starting Lineup
Sacramento | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
Devin Carter | PG | Jalen Suggs |
Malik Monk | SG | Desmond Bane |
DeMar DeRozan | SF | Tristan da Silva |
Patrick Baldwin Jr. | PF | Paolo Banchero |
Maxime Raynaud | C | Wendell Carter |
Orlando Magic vs. Sacramento Kings: Prediction
Our Record: 44-28/31-41 ATS
The Orlando Magic are desperate for a win. We said that Monday before the Orlando Magic played an Indiana Pacers team that was on a 16-game losing streak. Orlando never got its defense right, and a team filled with veterans coming off a team meeting to end the losing streak took advantage.
While DeMar DeRozan is still kicking it for the Sacramento Kings, this Kings team is not that Pacers team. The Sacramento Kings had only eight players available for Tuesday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets. And there is not much hope that they will be much healthier.
This is a game about will and precision then. It is about whether the Magic are able to execute and play with fire and determination. The Kings, like the Pacers, will make the mistakes to let the Magic bulldoze them. It is whether Orlando will return the favor and punish Sacramento for those mistakes.
Paolo Banchero is on a tear right now and has a long history of torturing Sacramento. The Kings do not have the size to handle him with their depleted roster anyway.
That should be enough to secure a victory. A much-needed one. A blowout would be even better and more confidence-building.