Magic at Kings
THE STORY: Whatever was said in a players-only meeting between the Sacramento Kings did the trick. After a roller-coaster week in which head coach Paul Westphal was fired, the Kings snapped a two-game slide with a 103-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, giving new coach Keith Smart a win in his debut. The Orlando Magic still have work to do if they want to keep pace with the Eastern Conference’s elite. Orlando fell short against the Chicago Bulls Friday, losing 87-83 and suffered its first home defeat of the season. The Magic begin in a four-game western road swing Sunday that will span until Jan. 16. Orlando has won six of the last seven meetings with Sacramento and is 7-3 in their previous 10 head-to-head contests, going back to 2006.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, Sun Sports, Comcast SportsNet Sacramento
ABOUT THE MAGIC (5-3): Orlando’s offense has sputtered in recent outings, scoring just 78 points in a loss to Detroit and putting up only 83 points in Friday’s defeat to Chicago. The Magic’s biggest issue is turnovers, coughing the ball up a total of 35 times in those losses. Orlando is averaging only 14.5 turnovers per game on the season.
ABOUT THE KINGS (3-5): Troubled center DeMarcus Cousins will be called upon to have a huge game against Dwight Howard on Sunday. Cousins, who stirred up the controversy with Westphal after reportedly demanding a trade last week, has been huge for Sacramento the past two games, scoring a combined 45 points and grabbing a total of 18 rebounds. Cousins, who denied ever talking about a trade, seems to have a better relationship with Smart.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Sacramento will be without forward Chuck Hayes for 3-4 weeks after he injured his shoulder in the win over the Bucks. Hayes is averaging 5.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
2. Westphal had a 51-120 record with the Kings before getting fired. Smart went 36-46 as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors last season – a 10-game improvement from the previous year.
3. Orlando’s top 3-point threats, Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick, combined for just six points and 1-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc in the loss to the Bulls. Anderson is averaging 17.9 points while Redick is scoring 12.2 points per game this season.