National Basketball Association

Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 102, Sacramento Kings 94

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Orlando Magic were able to hold off the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter for a 102-94 victory, their first home win this season.

VS.

	1	2	3	4	T
Kings	29	21	28	16	94
Magic	23	33	28	18	102

Chalk this one up as another grind-it-out win for the Orlando Magic.

The Magic found themselves trailing early after the first quarter. DeMarcus Cousins was an absolute monster, dominating Serge Ibaka and hitting shots from all over the floor. It was quickly becoming another one of “those” nights for the Magic.

All of a sudden, the second quarter hit. The Magic turned up the intensity and played some great defense. That defense led to some great offense as the Magic drained seven shots from behind the arc in the quarter and took firm control of the game.

When Cousins and Rudy Gay were on the floor, the Magic had some defensive issues. None of the bigs other than Bismack Biyombo could slow down Cousins. And Gay is one of the most talented wing scorers in the league. The problem arose for Sacramento when they were both off the floor.

Sacramento’s bench was unable to muster any significant offense. It was a problem all night. Especially when Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin were able to muster some offense. Green had a solid offensive night after looking lost against Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

The Kings were able to make things interesting in the fourth quarter as the Magic’s offense slowed down after two good quarters. The Magic though were able to find an answer. They ground out the game again, winning while scoring fewer than 20 points in the fourth quarter for the second straight game.

The best sign of the night for Orlando was Evan Fournier. He was a machine on the offensive end as he ended the night shooting 66 percent from the field. He dropped 29 points and added a trio of 3-pointers.

Orlando now has a two-game winning streak and the team is starting to play better. There are still issues, but the team has scratched and clawed for these wins.

Aaron Gordon

F, Orlando Magic

Gordon looked decent on the offensive end. He still is hesitant to create off the dribble but he did drive to the basket and hit a big and-one play. Gordon was also able to knock down a 3-pointer. He ended his night with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

His defensive presence was also a big positive. Gordon was able to stay in front of Gay and force him to take some tough shots. After Gay’s initial salvo — 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting in the first quarter — Gay scored only six more points on 2-for-9 shooting. Gordon had a lot to do with that.

The consistent play on the perimeter was a real positive tonight and is something that helped out the Orlando bigs who had their hands full with Cousins.

Bismack Biyombo

C, Orlando Magic

Biyombo’s work on the glass is something the Magic will need all year long due to their struggles in the half court. A few offensive rebounds and tap outs can really change what has been a stagnant offense.

Biyombo still is a disaster in the scoring department. He does not have any post moves and looks lost when the ball is in his hands. Still, that is not really what the Magic signed him for anyway. If he can rebound and defend against opposing bigs, it is a worthy investment.

Evan Fournier

G, Orlando Magic

Fournier was much more efficient on the offensive end. He was able to shoot a high-percentage from behind the 3-point line and hit many of those acrobatic shots when he drove the lane. Fournier’s best offensive work was in transition. After a Kings turnover or missed shot, he was already looking for the outlet pass and he took it to the rim without fear.

He scored 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting, making three of his seven 3-point attempts. He scored 12 in the third quarter and hit key shots down the stretch to boost the Magic to a victory.

Another impressive factor for Fournier tonight was his defense. He will never be a lockdown perimeter guy. But so far this season he has really struggled. Fournier did look much better on defense. There is still room improvement, but he was not a big problem.

Sacramento Kings

2-4, 10th West

Cousins scored 33 points on 12-for-20 shooting. The Magic seemingly had no answer for him. But Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo both made strong defensive plays late as the Kings closed the gap. Rudy Gay finished with 16 points, but most of that came in the first quarter. The Kings quickly became one dimensional on offense.

It is so hard to talk about how the Kings played without mentioning the highlight reel plays Cousins made. There were stretches during this game where he looked unstoppable. Serge Ibaka is known for his great interior defense and Cousins scored on him at will.

The Kings defensive effort left something to be desired. The Magic were able to shoot from the outside and Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier were both able to drive to the rim with success. The Kings did not look very good and the Magic took full advantage.