Vucevic scores 42 points to lead Magic over Kings; Fox, Bagley sit out due to injuries
Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford had all kinds of injury issues going into Friday’s game against the Kings at Golden 1 Center, but Luke Walton had a couple of concerns, too.
Shortly before tipoff, starters De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III were ruled out due to injuries. Walton went deep into his bench to fill the void in his rotation, but the Kings couldn’t find enough firepower in a 123-112 loss to the Magic
Nikola Vucevic had a huge game, posting 42 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Magic (10-17), which had lost three in a row and seven of eight. Vucevic was completely unstoppable, making 17 of 22 from the field and 6 of 8 from 3-point range.
Michael Carter-Williams had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Orlando. Terrence Ross came off the bench to score 18 points.
Buddy Hield scored 19 points to lead the Kings (12-13), who have dropped two in a row after winning seven of eight. Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and seven rebounds.
Nemanja Bjelica, who had not appeared in a game in more than a month, came off the bench to post 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
“He was great tonight,” Walton said. “We have a lot of faith in Belly and we know what kind of player he is, and it was good to see. As a coach I enjoy watching him play, so it was nice to see that.”
Fox was ruled out before the game due to a left knee contusion. Bagley was held out because of left calf soreness. Walton started rookie Tyrese Haliburton and Glenn Robinson III instead.
Haliburton finished with 14 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Robinson was held to three points on 1-of-5 shooting, but he had four rebounds, two steals and two assists.
The Kings played the Magic evenly in the first quarter, but they trailed by five at the half and fell behind by double digits early in the third quarter. The Magic staged a 15-1 run to take an 82-65 lead on a basket by Vucevic.
Orlando led by as many as 20 in the third quarter. The Kings cut the deficit to single digits on a couple of occasions in the final minutes, but by then it was too late.
The Kings shot 51.8% from the field, but they committed 18 turnovers and got torched from the 3-point line. The Magic finished 15 of 34 (.441) from beyond the arc.
“We haven’t played this way in a long time, so it stings, but we’ll keep moving forward and we’ve got to be better next time out whether we have the same lineups or we have guys back,” Walton said. “We’ve got to be better.”
The Magic won on the second night of a back-to-back following Thursday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors despite being extremely shorthanded. Al-Farouq Aminu (knee), Cole Anthony (shoulder), Evan Fournier (back), Markelle Fultz (ACL), Aaron Gordon (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (knee), Frank Mason III (groin) and Karim Mane (G League) were all out.
Bjelica off the bench
Bjelica made his first appearance since Jan. 9 when he entered the game with 6:01 to play in the first period. Bjelica
Bjelica started 137 games for the Kings over the past two seasons. He averaged career highs of 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 41.9% from 3-point range in 2019-20, but he fell out of Walton’s rotation in early January.
League sources told The Sacramento Bee that Bjelica would welcome a trade and the Kings have been exploring their options since the time of the NBA Draft in November.
DaQuan’s debut
Kings swingman DaQuan Jeffries made his season debut after a grade-3 ankle sprain sidelined him for the past six weeks.
Jeffries, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound guard/forward from Tulsa, injured the ankle in practice Dec. 29 just as he was about to return from a back injury. In a Zoom session with reporters Thursday, Jeffries said he feels he can “run faster and jump higher than I could before.”
Jeffries provided a bit of a spark on offense and some toughness on defense, finishing with six points on 3-of-7 shooting with one rebound, one assist and one blocked shot.
Up next
The Kings will continue their five-game homestand when they entertain the Memphis Grizzlies (10-10) in a Valentine’s Day affair Sunday at Golden 1 Center.
The Grizzlies ended a four-game losing streak with a 130-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday before visiting the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
Desmond Bane (personal), Brandon Clarke (calf), Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), Sean McDermott (shoulder), De’Anthony Melton (shoulder), Jontay Porter (G league), Killian Tillie (foot) and Justise Winslow (hip) were all out against the Lakers.
Ja Morant leads the Grizzlies at 18.3 points and 7.7 assists per game, but he is shooting just 28.2% from 3-point range. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 15.7 points and 11.1 rebounds.
Injury report
Magic: OUT — Al-Farouq Aminu (knee); Cole Anthony (shoulder); Evan Fournier (back); Markelle Fultz (ACL); Aaron Gordon (ankle); Jonathan Isaac (knee); Frank Mason (groin); Karim Mane (G League).
Kings: OUT — De’Aaron Fox (knee); Marvin Bagley III (calf); Robert Woodard (G League); Jahmi’us Ramsey (G League).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 14 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 6 p.m.
Feb. 15 vs. Brooklyn Nets, 7 p.m.
Feb. 18 vs. Miami Heat, 7 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Chicago Bulls, 5 p.m.
Feb. 21 at Milwaukee Bucks, 5 p.m.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 9:58 PM.
