Paolo Banchero Drops 30, But Magic Still Have Work to Do After Beating Kings

The Orlando Magic are playing the song after going mute for a while with a 121-117 victory against the Sacramento Kings inside the Kia Center.

With just under a minute to go, Kings guard Daeqwon Plowden nailed a 3-pointer that made it a one-point game.

The Magic were leading for most of the fourth quarter, but their chances of winning were on the ropes. Luckily, the Magic had Jalen Suggs respond with a 3-pointer of his own with 27.4 seconds to go to put Orlando back up by four points.

Future Hall-of-Fame guard DeMar DeRozan cut the Kings' deficit in half by hitting a midrange jumper, but it was time for Sacramento to start fouling since the time on the clock was running out. The Magic hit two free throws to close out the game.

Orlando Magic guard Jevon Carter and Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter. | Russell Lansford-Imagn Images

Magic Survive vs. Kings in Ugly Win

Banchero was the leading scorer for the Magic with 30 on 11 of 22 shooting. He also had nine rebounds and seven assists. Desmond Bane dropped 23, while Tristan da Silva added 18. Wendell Carter Jr. had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Jamal Cain had 11 points off the bench.

For the Kings, DeRozan led the game in scoring with 33 points. He also added 11 assists for a double-double. Plowden played in 35 minutes off the bench and had 23 points of his own. Out of his points, 18 of them came from downtown, with six threes. Precious Achiuwa and point guard Devin Carter each had 14, while shooting guard Malik Monk added 13. Rookie big man Maxime Raynaud joined his teammates in double figures with 10.

The Magic got the job done, but that effort won't beat many teams other than the Kings, who are the worst squad in the Western Conference this season. The win does help give them some confidence moving forward with only nine games to go.

Time is running out for the Magic to get back in the saddle, but they did move up from number 10 to 8 in the Eastern Conference standings. They are just one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers and 1.5 games behind the Raptors, who will be their next opponent on the road.

The Magic are back in action on Sunday when they take on the Raptors. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET inside the Scotiabank Arena. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.