Starting a six-game road trip aiming to solidify their place in the Western Conference play-in, the Sacramento Kings failed to do so Saturday night in the Kia Center. The Magic cruised to a 121-91 home win.
Keon Ellis started over Malik Monk for the second consecutive night. Facing the Orlando Magic, who own the second-highest defensive rating in the NBA, Sacramento’s offense looked flustered and disorganized.
Six turnovers for Monk, five for Zach LaVine, and 16 as a team led to as many points for the Magic.
Shooting 25 percent (7/28) from three compared to 46 percent (18/39) isn’t a great formula, and neither is allowing a team to convert half their total shot attempts (44/88).
DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento in scoring with 21 points on 7/11 shooting, while Paolo Banchero led the victors with 24 points, six assists, and six rebounds.
The loss takes the Kings record to 36-38 with eight games remaining — tied with the 10th seed Dallas Mavericks while holding a one-game lead over the Phoenix Suns.
Fighting for their play-in standings, every game feels essential as Sacramento’s regular season dies down.
Kings at Magic Injury Report
Sacramento
Jake LaRavia – OUT (left thumb, bone contusion)
Mason Jones – OUT (G-League)
Orlando
Cole Anthony – OUT (left big toe)
Jalen Suggs – OUT (left knee)
Moritz Wagner – OUT (left knee)
Ethan Thompson – OUT (G-League)
Mac McClung – OUT (G-League)
Sacramento’s Starters: Keon Ellis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis
Orlando’s Starters: Cory Joseph, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Kings at Magic Game Notes
Looking to carry on their positive momentum from Thursday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Kings interim head coach Doug Christie elected to start Keon Ellis in place of Malik Monk yet again.
But Orlando’s second-ranked defense (109.5 defensive rating) was suffocating early. The Kings struggled to generate good looks, and weren’t converting many tough ones either.
They faced an early 10-1 deficit, missing their first four shots. LaVine and Sabonis helped them recover to an Orlando 17-11 lead, but started going downhill quickly from there.
Committing turnovers and missing triples caused problems. Orlando’s six-point lead made its way to double digits and didn’t stop there.
Ending the first quarter on a 15-4 run, the hometown Magic shot 50 percent from the field and three, holding a 38-21 advantage after one in the Kia Center.
As the action went on, four turnovers in the frame were an unfortunate trend that continued. Monk and LaVine made off-target passes and/or seemingly miscommunicated with some of their teammates.
Markelle Fultz saw the floor in the first, but Coach Christie elected to go with rookie Devin Carter in the second. A
ttempting to force a turnover, the 23-year-old was on the floor for seconds before grabbing at his right shoulder. He quickly made his way to the locker room.
Devin Carter heads to the Kings’ locker room after appearing to injure his shoulder on this play pic.twitter.com/M4vUMJNw88
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 29, 2025
The team announced him as out for the remainder of the game not long after. Having already missed a majority of his debut NBA season recovering from left shoulder surgery, he’s played less than 300 minutes over 29 games.
Turnovers, turnovers, and more turnovers. Those mishaps were the story of the first half, with the Kings committing 11 as a team — Monk had five, LaVine had three.
Sacramento scored at a slightly better rate in the second, outscoring the Magic by two in the frame. But it hardly made a dent in the damage that had already been done.
Orlando led 61-46 at halftime, while DeRozan’s 18 points led the Kings as Sabonis (13 points and nine rebounds) added to the tally.
Only converting one of their first-half threes compared to Orlando’s 8/16 shooting didn’t help their cause.
And, somehow, it got worse in the third, where they conceded 37 points to 20 of their own. The Kings had fallen under 40 percent from the field while their opposition was above 50 percent.
Wendell Carter Jr., shooting 22.5 percent from three-point range this season, going 3/3 from deep, speaks to the extreme shooting success Orlando managed.
It was a thirty-point game in no time, and continued to hover around that margin for the rest of the game. For most of the final frame, Christie had a lineup of Fultz, Doug McDermott, Jae Crowder, Trey Lyles, and Isaac Jones.
When those guys are sharing the floor, things either go swimmingly or tragically. And, unfortunately for the Kings, it was the latter Saturday night in Orlando.
DeRozan managed 21 points on 7/11 shooting, but Sabonis had 14 while LaVine only added 10 on eight shot attempts. Six turnovers for Monk in 23 minutes, while LaVine managed five of his own.
The loss takes their record to 36-38 with eight games remaining — tied with the 10th seed Dallas Mavericks while holding a one-game lead over the Phoenix Suns.
Fighting for their play-in standings, every game feels essential as Sacramento’s regular season dies down.
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
Monday, March 31st – @ Indiana Pacers – 4:00 PM PT
Wednesday, April 2nd – @ Washington Wizards – 4:00 PM PT
Friday, April 4th – @ Charlotte Hornets – 4:00 PM PT
Sunday, April 6th – @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 4:00 PM PT
Monday, April 7th – @ Detroit Pistons – 4:00 PM PT
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