The Lead
The 130 points scored by the Orlando Magic on Wednesday was a season high. Problem was their opponent, the Sacramento Kings, set their own season high in scoring, and that says a lot considering it was one point more than their prior season best which came in a triple-overtime contest against the Lakers. The Magic had no answer defensively for the scorching Kings, who shot 54.6 percent overall and 44.1 percent from 3-point range in their 142-130 victory at Golden 1 Center.
Top Performers
No surprise considering some of his best games this season have come after a poor or mediocre performance, but Cole Anthony bounced back from his season-low nine-point performance on Monday against the Warriors with a season-tying-high 33 points in Sacramento. It was his third 30-plus-point effort this season and fourth of his NBA career. He also had four rebounds and eight assists. Also filling up the stat sheet was Wendell Carter Jr., who posted 19 points, 10 rebounds and six dimes. A total of seven Magic players scored in double figures, including reserves Terrence Ross (17 points) and Robin Lopez (11 points).
Key Stretch
Anthony put Orlando in the lead early in the third with one of his six 3-pointers. From there, though, the game was controlled by Sacramento, which used a 16-2 run to create separation. In that stretch, Terence Davis made three shots, De’Aaron Fox, who like Anthony scored 33 points, buried two, and Tristan Thompson also connected on a pair, both dunks.
Injury Report
Michael Carter-Williams (left ankle), Markelle Fultz (left knee), Jonathan Isaac (left knee), E’Twaun Moore (left knee sprain), and Jalen Suggs (fractured right thumb) were out for Orlando. For Sacramento, Maurice Harkless (left knee soreness), Neemias Queta (G League – Two Way), Jahmi’us Ramsey (G League – on assignment), and Robert Woodard II (G League – on assignment) were out.
This Day in History
Not often do teams leave Salt Lake City with a win, but that’s exactly what the Magic did on Dec. 8, 2004. Cuttino Mobley, who only played in 23 games with the Magic, racked up 26 points and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 21.3 seconds remaining to lift Orlando to a thrilling win over Utah. Steve Francis scored 20 points and Grant Hill had 18. The Jazz were led by Carlos Boozer, who posted 29 points and 12 rebounds.
Rivals Report
The Kings are playing much faster since Alvin Gentry replaced Luke Walton as head coach. Since the change, they rank second in place of play. The team first in that category during this time are the Magic. On paper, Sacramento has enough talent to end their playoff drought. They also have plenty of offensive firepower. What’s dubious is their defense. Currently, they are 26th in defense, giving up 113 points per game.
Quote of the Night
“We got into a shootout and lost. That’s not how we want to play. We got to be better than that. We got to hold ourselves to higher standards. And we just have to at the end of the day have the mentality that we want to guard, and tonight we didn’t have that.” - Anthony
Up Next
The Magic’s final stop on this 11-day road trip is Los Angeles, where they will play both the Clippers and Lakers. First up are the Clippers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. It’s been an up and down first quarter of the season for the Clippers, who won seven straight and eight of nine in one stretch after losing four of their first five. Having another sensational season is Paul George with averages of 25.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 steals.