Paolo Banchero led the Orlando Magic with 30 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in a 111-107 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at the Kia Center. The victory snapped Orlando’s six-game losing streak and extended Banchero’s streak of 30-plus point games to three.
Reflecting on a key sequence, Banchero said, “Big shot for sure. You know, being up one, make it two possession game. Just drawing two, kicking it out, and then guys, you know, making plays from there. Usually if you can get two on the ball, if you pass out, you can get an open shot. Dez did a great job of driving and then finding J and he was wide open and knocked it down.”
Banchero highlighted his aggressive approach on offense: “Just out there being aggressive really, you know, nothing more to it.” He credited his teammates for creating opportunities, adding, “Always give credit to my teammates for finding me and just encouraging me to be aggressive. But yeah, I think I’ve just been playing to the level I’m capable of since the All-Star break.”
On his defensive effort against DeMar DeRozan, Banchero explained, “He had it going. You know, he had 20 in the first half and, you know, that’s a guy who scored a lot of points in this league. So I just wanted to take a shot at him and try to make it tough. Didn’t want him having a huge night… just wanted to accept the challenge and try to make his life a little more difficult as a group.”
Banchero also addressed the team’s late-game execution: “If we want to be a playoff team, you got to be able to do stuff like that. So I think we just did what we were supposed to do out there.”
He praised Jamal Cain’s energy and readiness, saying, “He’s making big-time energy plays out there, cuts, rebounds, transition finishes… He’s just now kind of getting to see some consistent minutes. So all the credit to him for sticking it out and being ready.”
Banchero discussed his approach at the rim: “Just always trying to use contact to my advantage. That’s something we’ve been working on all year. Coach Sham has been great, just helping me out with small details of the game.” He elaborated on in-game decision-making, explaining, “It’s just reading and reacting, seeing what type of defender is on me or how the defense is playing me and trusting my instincts. A lot of it’s split-second decisions in the moment.”
Looking ahead, Banchero stressed the importance of building momentum, noting, “We’re in a tight race and put ourselves in a tough position losing six in a row. So we got to dig ourselves out of it… Get some momentum going into the playoffs. We got nine games left to do that.”
Desmond Bane contributed 23 points, while Jalen Suggs added eight points and four assists after missing two games due to illness. DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 33 points and 11 assists, and Daeqwon Plowden scored 23 points.
Orlando (39-34) now sits in a three-way tie for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, while Sacramento (19-55) remains last in the West. The Magic visit Toronto on Sunday, and the Kings travel to Atlanta on Saturday.
