The Kings survived a twilight zone matchup in a double-overtime thriller against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, winning 138-135 thanks to the magnificence of Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis. Monk scored 37 points and 9 assists, 17 of those points in the 4th quarter and OT, and gave the Kings their most consistent scoring punch and energy across the 58-minute contest. Sabonis finished with 22 points, 12 assists, and 23 rebounds for his 7th triple double of the season, and held his own against the post presences of one of the taller squads in the association.
Paolo Banchero had a career game for the Magic, scoring a personal best 43 points on 13 of 25 shooting. The Kings showcased their amazing ability to bring out the best three-point shooting in their opponents; Orlando came into the contest last in the league for three-point makes and second-to-last in three-point percentage, but shot 25 of 44 from three (a franchise record for them) across the game and used a barrage of heartbreaking deep makes throughout the second half and overtime periods to keep victory within reach. The Kings meanwhile, shot just 15 of 40 from deep, but were just as happy to take the quick deep looks as the Magic were, even when they weren’t falling.
Banchero roasted the Kings all game long and hit 6 threes, including a pull-up triple with 15 seconds left in the 4th quarter that gave Orlando a 118-116 advantage. But out of the following timeout, Monk drove to the basket and scored a gorgeous left-handed layup over Banchero that knotted the score back up at 118-118. Jalen Suggs missed Orlando’s last three-point attempt in regulation.
In the closing minute of the first overtime period, Monk found Sabonis off a pick-and-roll for a thunderous dunk that put Sacramento back up 126-125, and on the next possession, Monk hit 1 of 2 free throws to extend the lead to 127-125. But in the closing seconds of OT and with the Magic down two, Banchero drove to the bucket and lost the ball out of bounds – a call that was quickly and erroneously overturned by the officiating crew, which resulted in a quick bang-bang layup by Banchero that tied the score again at 127-127. Monk missed a corner three pointer at the buzzer that brought up the second overtime period.
Both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back, and were fully gassed by the second overtime. But the Kings finally got the last gasp when Keegan Murray rebounded a missed Monk three, handed the ball to De’Aaron Fox, and relocated for his own three that knotted the score at 135-135. After a missed three on the other end, Fox hit his patented turnaround mid-range jumper, and hit 1 of 2 free throws on the following play to put Sacramento up 138-135. Banchero couldn’t hit his final deep shot, and Sacramento survived.
Murray finished with 28 points and 11 boards, and was magnificent in the first half, scoring on 5 straight plays including a gorgeous drive and layup on Franz Wagner. Fox had one of his worst contest of the season, scoring 15 points and 7 assists but shooting just 6 of 22 from the field and was seemingly exhausted for much of the second half and overtime periods. But Harrison Barnes had 17 points and Trey Lyles added 10 points and 3 huge charge calls against Banchero and the Magic. Monk’s 37 points included a 15-point 2nd quarter where Malik scored 5 triples in four minutes. A day removed from a listless loss to the Charlotte Hornets where only Fox and Sabonis played up to their pay grade, it was good to see Sacramento’s other contributors show up to secure the win against the Magic.
Jalen Suggs had 24 points and 6 threes for Orlando, and Caleb Houstan added 15 off the bench. Magic star Franz Wagner missed most of the contest after spraining his ankle in the first quarter.
While Orlando’s three point success was the highlight of a crazy statistical night, the Kings won the battle in the paint 66 to 24 against one of the leagues most post-hungry and tallest squads. Sacramento also out-rebounded the Magic 69 to 48. The Kings can celebrate their first victory on the second night of a back-to-back this season, but also have to note that if they’d hit their free throws – and they were just 21 of 31 on the evening – this contest would have been over long before it did.
The Kings remain in Sacramento for a Friday matchup against the Toronto Raptors.
