Recap: Sacramento Kings Withstand the Orlando Magic In Win
On the road for the 3rd game of their 5 game road trip, the Sacramento Kings (5-9) prevailed against the Orlando Magic (6-7) 97-91 for their first road win of the season.
Led by DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo, the Kings displayed a well balanced attack that kept the Magic playing from behind for most of the night. Coach George Karl only played an 8-man rotation, but 5 of those players scored in double figures, and 7 of the players scored 8 or more points on the night.
Cousins filled up the box score with 29 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Rajon Rondo contributed 13 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds as he continues to make the Kings front office and fantasy owners happy that they took a gamble on him.
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The Kings effort was consistent throughout the game, with the lead either marginally growing or being maintained for most of the first half of action.
However, in what seemed to be another typical 3rd quarter for the Kings, the Magic came out of the locker room ready to play and went on a 7-0 run that decimated the Kings’ lead and put the Magic up 54-53.
The two teams battled back and fourth for a few more minutes in the 3rd quarter before the Magic found themselves up 65-61 after an 18 foot jumper by Nikola Vucevic. But just when momentum seemed to swing Orlando’s way, the Kings went on a tear.
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Sacramento finished the 3rd quarter with a 22-4 run that was the result of defensive stops, forced turnovers, and flawless ball movement that would give even casual Kings fans flashbacks to 2002.
Orlando made a strong push in the 4th quarter outscoring the Kings 24-14, but Sacramento had built themselves too big of a cushion for the young Magic to overcome. Tobias Harris led the Magic with 24 points and 4 rebounds.
The Kings have won 4 of their last 6 games and now must adjust their focus to Monday’s matchup against Al Jefferson and the Charlotte Hornets.