De’Aaron Fox dazzles as Kings beat Magic to win third in a row; Richaun Holmes hurt again

Jason Anderson
·4 min read

De’Aaron Fox endured his share of struggles early in the season, but he turned in an impressive performance Wednesday night to help the Kings win their third consecutive game.

Fox scored 33 points to lead the Kings to a 142-130 victory over the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center. Fox went 12 of 18 from the field, 2 of 2 from 3-point range and 7 of 8 at the free-throw line, scoring with expert efficiency to produce his third 30-point game of the season.

“I never worried one bit that he would get to where he was tonight,” interim Kings coach Alvin Gentry said. “He may have started a little tough, but over the long haul of the season and 82 games, he’s going to play more games like this then he did at the very start.”

Tyrese Haliburton had 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 11 assists, three steals, two blocked shots and only two turnovers for the Kings (11-14), who are riding their first three-game winning streak of the season. Sacramento improved to 5-3 under Gentry, who took over when Luke Walton was fired Nov. 21.

Davion Mitchell came off the bench to score 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Harrison Barnes, playing for the first time since Nov. 24 after missing five games with a foot sprain, and Terence Davis had 16 points apiece. Tristan Thompson had 14 points and 10 rebounds, playing a key role after center Richaun Holmes left the game with an eye injury.

Cole Anthony had 33 points and eight assists for the Magic (5-21), which has lost 10 of its last 11 games. Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. added 19 points apiece.

The Kings led 70-67 at the half. The Magic went up 72-70 on a 3-pointer by Anthony, but the Kings responded by outscoring Orlando 24-6 over the next six minutes to take a commanding 94-78 lead on a 3-pointer by Mitchell.

The Magic cut the deficit to eight late in the third quarter and got within seven on a three-point play by Wagner with 1:05 to play in the fourth, but Thompson and Mitchell came up with big baskets in the final minute to help the Kings hold on for the win.

Holmes leaves game

Holmes left the game with a nasty cut over the bridge of his nose after getting clobbered in the face by Magic big man Mo Bamba midway through the second quarter.

Holmes was treated by Kings medical staff on the bench before going to the locker room for further evaluation. Bamba was charged with a technical foul.

The Kings announced at halftime that Holmes was questionable to return due to a right eye injury. Thompson started in place of Holmes to begin the second half. The Kings later announced Holmes would not return to the game.

Holmes returned to the lineup last week after missing one game with a right eye contusion and two games due to illness.

“He’s going to see the doctor again tomorrow,” Gentry said. “Obviously you saw the laceration on his eye, and I think there will be stitches involved.

“I think he’s got hit in the face, in the eye, in that area more than anybody in the NBA this year. If I was him, I would be a little perturbed by the whole thing. It seems to happen at the most inopportune times.”

First look at Franz

The Kings got their first look at Wagner, the Magic rookie who came out of Michigan as the No. 8 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. Wagner finished with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Wagner came into the game averaging 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He was shooting 44% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range. He scored 27 points against the Philadelphia 76ers last week. He had 28 in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this season.

The Commish

NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended Monday’s game, marking his first visit to Golden 1 Center this season. Silver received a nice ovation when he was introduced on the giant videoboard during a first-quarter timeout.

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