Orlando Magic (29-25) beat Sacramento Kings (12-45) 131-94 on the road on Thursday, February 19, after falling far behind. The Magic were down 10 at one quarter break and still finished 37 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Kings struck first, taking the opening quarter 28-18 and a 10-point lead after one. The Magic moved in front with a 46-27 second quarter, carrying a 9-point lead into halftime.
The Magic won the third 38-29 to create some separation, taking a 18-point lead into the fourth. The Magic took the fourth 29-10; the Magic finished the job for a 131-94 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Magic got more from their shots, finishing at 65% effective field-goal shooting compared with 45.3% for the Kings. The Magic took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9.8% of possessions compared with 18.5% for the Kings. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Kings did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 23.4% against 11.9%. The Magic made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Magic produced 127.6 points per 100 possessions to 91.6 for the Kings.
The Magic's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 48-32.
Who carried the comeback
Paolo Banchero was the game's biggest individual force for ORL: 30 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast on 10-21 shooting. His Game Score of 22.9 led everyone. His team was +32 with him on the floor.
Maxime Raynaud led the Kings with 17 pts, 14 reb, 4 ast on 8-13 shooting, good for a 18.9 Game Score.
Precious Achiuwa (14 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) and Maxime Raynaud (17 pts, 14 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 59% for the Magic.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Orlando Magic lead 2-0.
The Magic are now 29-25, and the Kings are 12-45. The Magic last five before this game: L-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.