Afflalo came up limping with 4:43 in the third quarter after rolling his right foot on a layup attempt. The standout guard, Orlando’s steadiest player this season and a candidate to play in the NBA All-Star game, tried to play through the injury, but he was severely limited.
``It was just basketball stuff and it happens. I thought I just had a normal twisted ankle, but my foot started bothering me,’’ Afflalo said. ``The X-rays showed nothing crazy. Nothing was broken, but were some little strains in there that will take a couple of days to heal.
``It doesn’t worry me, but I definitely want to be healthy because I need to get back to playing at a high level to help this team win some games,’’ Afflalo added. ``I always tell guys if you can play get out there and play. But if you are going to half-effort it, sit down. I’ll be honest with myself. I don’t want to be a tough man if I’m really hurt.’’
The Magic (10-26) made just 33.3 percent of their shots and only eight of 27 3-point shots against a Sacramento team that ranks among the worst teams in the NBA in most defensive categories. Orlando had just 15 assists and turned the ball over 13 times – numbers not nearly good enough to beat a high-scoring Kings team from the rugged Western Conference.
The loss was Orlando’s sixth in a row. It also hasn’t beaten a Western Conference team since early November.
``This is very tough, especially for a guy like myself who focuses before every game to go out there and win,’’ Magic forward Tobias Harris said. ``It’s frustrating that we can’t close out these games. But at the same time we have to stay positive and we have another game tomorrow. We have to have short-term memories and get ready for tomorrow.’’
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