It took 12 minutes of action but the Magic eventually found their footing inside Golden 1 Center behind a game-high 30 points from Paolo Banchero and a historic showing from 3-point range for the organization on Thursday night against the Kings.
Trailing by as many as 12 points early, Orlando outscored Sacramento 113-66 over the course of the final three quarters to capture a 131-94 victory in its first game out of the NBA All-Star break.
Jamahl Mosley’s squad knocked down a franchise-record 27 3-pointers, finished with a 29-6 advantage in fastbreak scoring and scored 24 points off 19 takeaways in the 37-point victory to open a four-game road trip on the West Coast.
“I really think it was our defense creating some early, easy offensive looks,” Mosley said. “We were able to get downhill, attack the basket and then we were able get the spray-outs for feet-set 3s.
“Our guys did a great job of sharing it, moving it, trusting the pass and just trusting their teammates,” he added.
Entering the night with the worst record in the league, the Kings (12-45) outscored Orlando 44-30 in the paint, but gave up a 19-3 run late in the third quarter to drop their 15th game in a row, marking a franchise record.
While Orlando was without Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain injury management), the Kings were missing two of their top scorers in Zach LaVine (right hand surgery) and Domantas Sabonis (left knee surgery).
The Magic (29-25) make their lone trip of the season at Phoenix on Saturday.
Slow start
The Magic struggled to open games before the break, and that continued to a problem on Thursday night.
Sacramento shot 50% from the floor (10 for 20) in the first quarter and held Orlando to 21% on the other end (5 for 24) to take a 10-point lead following the opening 12 minutes.
Orlando was limited to just 18 points in the first frame, notching only two in the paint. When the Kings shot 5 of 7 for 10 points in the paint to start the game, the Magic shot 1 for 8 in the paint.
And although the Magic forced six Sacramento turnovers, they only two scored two points off of them. The Kings scored seven points off five takeaways on the other end.
Second-quarter swing
After scoring 18 points in the first quarter, the Magic scored 24 in the first six minutes of the second quarter alone.
Using a 16-0 run early in the second frame to climb back into the game, Orlando outscored Sacramento 46-27 in the second quarter to take a nine-point into the half.
Banchero scored 13 of his first-half 18 points in the second quarter when Orlando was far more efficient in the paint, racking up 16 paint points. Shooting 8 for 10 in the paint during the second quarter allowed the Magic to attack downhill and keep Sacramento’s defense on its toes.
“I love how he got settled into the game,” Mosley said about Banchero. “He started off being very aggressive early, getting downhill and attacking the basket. He did a great job finding teammates.”
A 4 for 13 showing from distance in the first quarter didn’t slow down the Magic when they shot 8 for 11 from beyond the arc in the second quarter alone.
Carter’s contribution
Mosley made a key change to his rotation when recently-acquired guard Jevon Carter was the first player off the Magic bench at Sacramento.
Carter, who signed with the team on Feb. 6 after it traded away Tyus Jones, provided a major boost off the bench thanks to his hustle and energy on both ends of the floor.
Scoring his first points in a Magic uniform, Carter finished with 14 points, three rebounds and four assists while hitting three 3-pointers in 23 minutes. His plus-minus rating of plus-34 led the Magic.
“He’s about the right things,” Mosley said about Carter. “He’s about winning, he’s about team, and playing the right way.”
Rookie watch
Jase Richardson and Noah Penda closed out the final five minutes of the game after Orlando took a 27-point lead late.
Neither scored in limited action.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com