Magic 107, Kings 100
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Aaron Gordon had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Victor Oladipo added 18 points, and the Orlando Magic defeated the Sacramento Kings 107-100, snapping their three-game losing streak.
Evan Fournier and Josh Smith each scored 16 points Orlando, while Ersan Ilyasova and C.J. Watson had 10 apiece.
Kosta Koufos led the Kings with 19 points off the bench, and Marco Belinelli, another reserve, had 17. Rajon Rondo added 16 points, and Rudy Gay and Willie Cauley-Stein each had 12.
The Magic (28-36) moved to within 4 1/2 games of Detroit for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Sacramento (25-39) lost its fourth straight game and fell seven games behind Dallas and Houston, which are tied for seventh place in the Western Conference.
The Kings played without starting center DeMarcus Cousins, their leading scorer and rebounder, who served a one-game suspension for what general manager Vlade Divac called conduct detrimental to the team. While sitting on the bench during a timeout in the fourth quarter of Sacramento's loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, Cousins pointed and screamed at coach George Karl.
Center Nikola Vucevic, Orlando's leading scorer and rebounder, missed his third straight game with a strained groin.
The Magic led 50-49 at halftime and increased their lead to 80-75 through three quarters.
Orlando opened the fourth quarter on a 15-4 run, extending its lead to 95-81 with 6:52 left to play. Oladipo capped the run with three straight baskets, a jump shot and two dunks after Kings turnovers.
Koufas hit a pair of free throws, cutting Orlando's lead to 95-83. Then he scored from inside as the Kings pulled to within 10 points with 5:31 remaining.
Gordon hit a pair of free throws with 3:35 left, increasing the Magic's lead to 101-88.
The Magic opened the game with a 12-0 run and led 16-2 with 6:32 left in the first quarter, but by the end of the first half the Kings trailed by only a point at 50-49.
Gordon had 12 points and nine rebounds in the first half, and Fournier added 11 points.
Belinelli and sparked Sacramento's comeback, scoring 14 points and doing most of his damage from long range. Belinelli, who had missed one game with back spasms, shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range and was 5-for-8 from the field.
The Kings pulled even at 42-42 on Belinelli's 3-point play with 4:11 left in the half. The Magic went on an 8-2 run but Kings forward Omri Casspi drained a 3-point shot with 47 seconds left, cutting Orlando's lead to 50-49.
Gay added eight points and five rebounds in the first half.
The Kings shot 5-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half while the Magic went 2-for-8. Orlando outrebounded Sacramento 27-15.
NOTES: Kings C Willie Cauley-Stein made his 30th start of the season, replacing DeMarcus Cousins, who served a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team during Wednesday's game against Cleveland. "Frustration evolves in many different ways," Kings coach George Karl said. "Sometimes it crosses the line." ... Karl had a small skin cancer spot on the side of his neck removed Thursday at UC Davis Medical Center but said he was fine and coached the team Friday. ... Kings G Ben McLemore (fractured finger tip) missed his second straight game. ... Kings G Marco Belinelli (back spasms) returned to action after missing one game. ... Kings G Seth Curry (sprained right foot) was active after missing six games. ... Magic starting G Elfrid Payton missed the game with a sprained right elbow. C.J. Watson replaced him in the starting lineup. ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic (strained right groin) missed his third straight game. Dewayne Dedmon started in Vucevic's place. Jason Smith started the previous two games for Vucevic but returned to his usual role coming off the bench.