Photo credit: Fernando Medina

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings desperately needed a win on Saturday night in Orlando. The Kings had lost the first three games of the four game road trip and had been blown out in two of those games. The game against the Magic appeared to be the most winnable of the trip. The Kings stepped up, shook off the blowout in Miami and beat the Magic 105-100.

The game did not begin in a manner that would instill confidence that a win was in the cards. The Kings gave up 31 points to the Magic and trailed 31-25 after one quarter. The lack of defense made it appear that is was going to be déjà vu all over again for Sacramento.

The Kings offense stepped up and starting putting points up on the board in the second quarter. Head Coach Michael Malone felt that his team’s 12-4 run to close out the quarter was a key to their victory. The Kings went to the locker room trailing the Magic by just two points, 58-56.

Both teams came out in the third determined to play defense. The Kings and the Magic scored only 19 points each in the quarter. Malone called his team’s defensive efforts in the period, “Terrific!” After three quarters the Magic led the Kings by just two points.

The Kings offense came alive in the fourth quarter as they went on an 18-4 run to kick things off in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Kings outscored the Magic 30-23 in the fourth period and capped off their 105-100 win.

After the game, Michael Malone said, “We battled back tonight.” He also praised guard Marcus Thornton, “Marcus has been a true pro. He was ready tonight.”

Thornton has been the forgotten man on the Sacramento bench. He had gone from being a starter to being completely out of the rotation. Saturday night Thornton got the chance to play and he did the most with his opportunity. Thornton scored 15 points in his 22 minutes of playing time. After the game he said, “I’m happy to have the opportunity.”

Isaiah Thomas had another terrific game for Sacramento. His play in the first half really kept his team in the game. Thomas finished with 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds. He shot eight for 15 from the floor.

Rudy Gay also poured in 23 points for the Kings in his 38 minutes of playing time. Gay grabbed six rebounds and added two assists.

DeMarcus Cousins recorded another double-double. Cousins scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

The Kings had a strong night shooting the ball. They shot 49.4% (39-79) overall and 52.2% (12-23) from beyond the 3-point line.

The Kings now head back to Sacramento where they will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night at Sleep Train Arena.