The Orlando Magic were in control for the first half of their 126-123 overtime loss vs. the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at Amway Center.
Then the third quarter happened.
Specifically, a Magic turnover-heavy third (9 giveaways) led to Orlando blowing a 20-point lead and the Kings taking an 83-77 lead to end the third that ballooned to 92-82 early in the fourth.
The Magic dug deep, leaning on Paolo Banchero’s fourth-quarter takeover (10 points, 2 assists in the quarter) to come back and force overtime with the game tied at 106.
But the Magic (2-8) were out-executed in the extra period, falling to the Kings (3-5) after De’Aaron Fox hit a 31-foot buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Sacramento the win.
“In the NBA,” Banchero said. “It’s too long of a game to get comfortable.”
Banchero finished with 33 points (14-of-26 shooting), 15 rebounds and 4 assists for his first 30-point game.
With Banchero’s first 30-point showing coming in his 10th game, he became the second-fastest player in team history to record a 30-point game behind only Shaquille O’Neal (three games).
Franz Wagner finished with 31 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. The Magic leaned on Wagner later after putting the ball in Banchero’s hands in the fourth, with 10 of Wagner’s points coming in overtime.
Wendell Carter Jr. added 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in 39 minutes before fouling out in overtime. Bol Bol had a career-high 23 points to go with 7 rebounds and 2 assists.
Fox led the Kings with 37 points and 5 assists. He made three consecutive 2-pointers in overtime that gave the Kings a 112-111 lead with 3:38 remaining.
Harrison Barnes knocked down a corner 3 and Domantas Sabonis (25 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) knocked down a free throw after getting fouled on Barnes’ 3 to take a 116-111 lead.
The Magic battled back again, with a Chuma Okeke steal and dunk with 6.6 seconds remaining to tie the game at 23 in overtime.
But Fox hit the dagger Amway to send the Magic back to their locker room without the win.
“Let it sting,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We got to come back, get our work in [Sunday] and we’ve got the [Houston] Rockets [Monday].”
The Magic fully controlled the first half, limiting turnovers and getting into the paint to have a 65-47 lead at halftime. But they didn’t hold on to the lead and failed to secure their first winning streak.
Orlando went 4 of 23 (17.4%) on 3s compared to the Kings’ 15 of 40 (37.5%) and turned the ball over 18 times for 26 Sacramento points.
Saturday was the first time Mosley and Kings coach Mike Brown were the head coaches in the same game.
Mosley was an assistant coach on Brown’s Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff during the 2013-14 season.
They first connected through legendary player development coach Tim Grgurich.
“I’m so excited he’s getting an opportunity,” Brown said of Mosley before the game. “It’s more than well deserved. He’s got this team competing. It’s a young team. He’s got them competing at a high level. Fantastic job of what he’s doing.
“I learned a lot from him even though he’s a younger coach. We’re still in touch to this day. That relationship has been there for a long time. We were both raised by Coach [Grgurich], especially in the offseason. I was with Grgurich first so I think of Jamahl as my little brother.”
Brown was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors from 2016-22 before becoming the Kings’ head coach during the offseason.
“I’m so excited for Mike to get another opportunity,” Mosley said. “He’s a great coach. He’s been a mentor for years. The things I learned under him — his attention to detail, his level of communication with players, coaches and staff and his spirit of bringing that same energy and passion to the game every day. He was a great mentor for me to have.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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