The Orlando Magic ended their six-game skid with a 111-107 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 30 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, as he logged his third straight game of 30-plus points.
Desmond Bane added 23 points, and Jalen Suggs returned from a two-game absence due to an illness with eight points and four assists in 34 minutes.
Orlando (39-34) fell below the play-in cut in the Eastern Conference during their skid that came immediately after a seven-game winning streak had propelled them into fifth place.
This was the 25th time in Banchero’s four-year career that he logged at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Only Tracy McGrady (66) has more such games.
The Magic forged a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth. Atlanta (41-32), Toronto (40-32), and Philadelphia (40-33) are just ahead, with the top six teams in each conference guaranteed a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in games.
On the other hand, DeMar DeRozan dropped 33 points and 11 assists for the King.
DeRozan cut a nine-point deficit with a little more than two minutes left down to 116-115 on Daeqwon Plowden’s 3-pointer with 50.4 seconds to go.
Suggs answered with a 3-pointer with 27.4 seconds remaining to give the Magic a bigger cushion.
Plowden added 23 points with shooting 6-for-10 from distance, and Precious Achiuwa had 14 and nine boards.
Up next: the Kings visit Atlanta on Saturday, while the Magic visit the Raptors on Sunday.
