Kings 105, Magic 100
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Recently acquired guard Rudy Gay scored 23 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 105-100 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
The Kings (8-18) won the final game of a road trip that included losses in Charlotte, Atlanta and Miami.
Point guard Isiah Thomas also had 23 points for the Kings, giving him his sixth game of at least 20 points in his eight starts this month.
Guard Arron Afflalo had 26 points and forward Tobias Harris scored 21 points for the Magic (8-19).
It was the fourth game in five nights for the Kings, who got stronger as the game progressed.
Volatile Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins was whistled for his eighth technical foul of the season midway in the fourth quarter after questioning an official's call. He finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Gay and Marcus Thornton combined to score Sacramento's first 18 points in the fourth quarter, allowing the Kings to open a 93-81 lead. Thornton hit three consecutive 3-pointers during that stretch.
Although the Magic closed to four points late in the game, the Kings never lost their lead. The Magic committed a pair of turnovers in the final 40 seconds that ended their hopes.
The Magic led by two points going into the fourth quarter after closing the third quarter with a 6-0 burst that included four points by guard Victor Oladipo, who played as a reserve after 16 consecutive starts.
The Kings, who trailed throughout the first half, opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run and grabbed a 66-60 lead. The Magic responded with an 11-2 run to retake the lead midway in the third quarter.
The Magic led 58-65 at halftime, getting 13 points from Afflalo and 11 from Nelson. They led by as many as 12 in the second quarter, but the Kings made a late 10-0 run that closed the gap quickly.
The Kings got 10 points from Thomas in the first quarter and 10 from Gay in the second.
The Magic scored first, hitting 10 of their first 14 shots from the field and never trailed in the first half.
The Kings made 8 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half, including 3 of 5 by Thomas.
NOTES: Magic rookie G Victor Oladipo, who made only 1 of 12 shots from the field in the previous game, was back in a reserve role on Saturday after 16 consecutive starts. ... Magic reserve guard E'Twaun Moore was put on the inactive list because of a thigh bruise after getting kneed in practice on Thursday. ... The Magic started G Arron Afflalo, F Glen Davis and F Tobias Harris together for the first time this season. ... Kings coach Mike Malone said before the game that he wants to start giving more playing time to G Jimmer Fredette and G Ray McCallum, his backup point guards. ... Malone has been especially frustrated by his team's lack of attention to defense on this four-game road trip. In the first three games, the Kings allowed an average of 113.7 points. Part of the reason is that they have had only one practice since they acquired Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray from Toronto on Dec. 9. "What I've reminded myself, not as an excuse, but the reality is with one practice with these guys, you're almost teaching on the fly," Malone said.
