Following a hugely disappointing loss against the Wizards, the Sacramento Kings continued their road trip in Orlando. The Kings have played the Magic well over the years, but the Magic are big, athletic team. The exact type of team that traditionally gives the Kings trouble. Following the Washington stinker, Sacramento really needs a win. Could the Kings pull a rabbit out of their hat and take a win from the Magic? Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings win, 109-107
Sacramento Kings: 109 pts, 43.7% fg, 37.5% 3 pt, 85.7% ft, 26 ast, 42 reb, 7 to
Toronto Raptors: 107 pts, 47.7% fg, 28.6% 3 pt, 72.2% ft, 27 ast, 49 reb, 13 to
They did it! It wasn’t always pretty, but the Kings escaped with a crucial win. Sacramento got the benefit of the whistle in the closing minutes, as Orlando was whistled on a foul against De’Aaron Fox. Jalen Suggs may have pushed a little, and it may have been why Fox was teetering over into a backcourt violation, but I was still surprised the refs called that one in Sacramento’s favor. Fox was clutch from the charity stripe (8 for 9 for the game), and Keon Ellis hit 1-of-2 with 2 seconds remaining. One final stop, and that was all she wrote.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good:
- Keegan Murray: Let’s get straight to the point, the Kings would not have won this game without Keegan Murray, 22 points on 12 shots, 6 for 7 from beyond the arc, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks. Keegan wasn’t the star of this game, but he stepped up big time in this one.
- Double Domas: Another stud outing from the Kings center. The double-double streak continues, as Domantas Sabonis finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists.
- Keon Ellis: Keon was huge in this one. He played his usual stout defense, with 2 steals and a block, but also contributed on offense. 19 points, 4 for 9 from three, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. It really makes me wonder why the hell Mike Brown played him so sparingly against the Wizards.
The Bad:
- The Bench Unit: Good god. This is one of those games that really highlights just how much the Kings miss Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles right now. Sasha Vezenkov was questionable for this one but ended up being ruled out. He would also be a welcome addition. As it stands, the Kings bench was a disaster. 4 players combined for 7 points in a combined 53 minutes of game action. The +/- ratings for the four bench players were Len -7, Mitchell -12, Monk -22, Duarte -19. I actually feel bad lumping Len in this group, because he did play some solid interior defense. But Monk (more on him in a moment) and Duarte were especially bad.
The Ugly:
- Malik Monk: Malik Monk scored zero points in this contest. He played 22 minutes, took 11 shots, and made absolutely none of them. Credit to the Magic, who were clearly geared towards taking Monk out of the game. Mission accomplished, Orlando. Monk never looked comfortable, never found his groove, and was not on the floor in the closing minutes of the game.
The King of Kings
De’Aaron Fox stepped up tonight, leading the Kings with 31 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Fox was struggling from beyond the arc, going just 3-12, but was great from the charity stripe and hit key jumpers to keep the Kings in it throughout.
Up Next
Monday, March 25th, 7:00 PM PT, vs the Philadelphia 76ers.
