Kings Win Back-To-Back at Home, 103-83 Victory Over Magic
The Kings won back-to-back home games for the first time this season with a 103-83 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night at Sleep Train Arena.
"Tonight we had the right mindset. We're not going to play to their record, we're going to play the way we need to play no matter who we're playing," head coach Michael Malone said postgame.
DeMarcus Cousins had his 9th straight double-double and 22nd of the season with 24 points and 14 rebounds.
Rudy Gay had his ninth 20-point performance with the Kings and has shot 51 percent from the field since the Kings acquired him in a December trade with the Toronto Raptors.
Isaiah Thomas was scoreless in the first half but turned it around in the second. He finished with nine points and hit a three-pointer in a game for the 28th consecutive game.
Sacramento's bench scored a total of 33 points. Derrick Williams had 14 of those points and added six boards.
"Our bench has been giving us very, very productive minutes, not just scoring but defending and energy wise as well," Malone said.
The Kings will look for their third straight victory at home when they take on Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday afternoon.
Analysis:
The Kings played with a winning mentality. They didn't play like they were playing a team with a losing record. Instead, they played like they were playing OKC, just like Cousins said their mentality would be going into this game.
Kings defense was a positive, holding the Magic to 83 points and 33 percent shooting.
The Kings bench has made an impact in these last two victories. Jimmer Fredette added 11 points in his 13 minutes and Derrick Williams has scored double digits in both wins.
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