Malik Monk and Paolo Banchero go crazy in Kings’ double-overtime thriller against Magic
Malik Monk exchanged words with Kings coach Mike Brown during Tuesday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets, but he let his game do all the talking in a wild win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday in Sacramento.
Monk and Brown had a morning meeting to make sure they had cleared the air. They looked each other in the eyes, came to an understanding, and then Monk came out gunning. The 25-year-old guard came off the bench to score a season-high 37 points in a 138-135 double-overtime thriller before a capacity crowd of 17,832 at Golden 1 Center.
“That’s why you want to play basketball, man, to be in moments like this,” Monk said. “Game tied up, overtime, what you going to do? I live for these moments.”
Magic forward Paolo Banchero, the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year, erupted for a career-high 43 points for the Magic despite suffering an ankle injury in the third quarter. Orlando made a franchise-record 25 3-point goals to prevent the Kings from pulling away. The game featured 17 ties and 24 lead changes, leaving a late-night crowd gasping with excitement.
“Man, long game, but give our guys credit, they found a way to win,” Brown said.
Monk willed them to it, but Sacramento needed big contributions from several other players.
Domantas Sabonis recorded another triple-double with 22 points, 23 rebounds and 12 assists for the Kings (20-13). It was his seventh triple-double of the season and his fifth in the past nine games.
Keegan Murray had 28 points and 12 rebounds, going 13 of 21 from the field while demonstrating three-level scoring abilities. Harrison Barnes scored 17 points, going 5 of 9 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Trey Lyles scored 10 points and drew multiple charges, including one on Banchero at a crucial stage in the game.
Banchero made 6 of 9 from 3-point range and 11 of 14 at the free-throw line, but he committed eight turnovers and his last 3-point shot missed as time expired at the end of the second overtime.
“Banchero, he’s a talent,” Brown said. “... If Banchero can shoot like that, ooh, look out, because he is a talented, strong young individual who’s just getting better and better.”
Orlando came in ranked 30th in the NBA with 10.1 3-point goals per game, but the Magic made 25 of 44 against the Kings. Sacramento’s gameplan was to let Orlando shoot 3s because the Magic typically dominates in the paint. The Kings outscored the Magic 66-24 on points in the paint, negating Orlando’s advantage from the 3-point line.
“We did it perfect,” Monk said. “We did exactly what we wanted to do, but they were just hitting shots tonight. They were hitting a lot of shots tonight.”
The Kings had to confront two of their biggest demons. They went into the game with an 0-4 record on the second night of a back-to-back. They have also struggled against teams with superior size and length.
Brown knew the Magic would present problems for his team with Suggs (6-5), Anthony Black (6-foot-7), Franz Wagner (6-10), Banchero (6-10), Goga Bitadze (6-10) and key reserves such as Wendell Carter Jr. (6-10) and Moritz Wagner (6-11).
“They’re a big team,” Brown said before the game. “... It’s going to be a tough task because of their length. They have a nice mixture of young and old, too, but that length plays a huge factor for a lot of teams, so we’re going to have to play fast, not just in the full court, but in the halfcourt, too.”
Orlando led 30-27 after shooting 61.1% from the field in the first quarter. The Magic led 36-31 when Monk made a 3-pointer to ignite a 28-8 run that put Sacramento up 59-44. The Kings led by as many as 16 and carried a 67-55 lead into the halftime break, but a third-quarter 3-point barrage helped the Magic cut the deficit to two going into the fourth.
Chuma Okeke hit a 3-pointer to put Orlando up 98-96 with 8:24 to play. The Kings were trailing 103-96 when Monk converted a three-point play, sparking a 9-0 run that gave Sacramento a 105-103 lead.
The teams continued to trade leads over the final six minutes. Monk’s driving layup with 10 seconds remaining sent the game to overtime. Banchero’s bucket with one second remaining in the first overtime forced a second overtime.
Suggs, Monk and Murray all hit big 3s. De’Aaron Fox wiggled into the paint for a couple of big baskets. Banchero made a pair of free throws, but he missed two 3-point attempts, including one as time expired.
“This is a hard crowd to play against and play in front of,” Banchero said. “They’re loud the whole game. Every play, you feel it, you hear them, and then their team feeds off of that energy. Their play style is hard to keep up with.”
Monk was asked if he was motivated by his exchange with Brown 24 hours earlier, when he buried two third-quarter 3-pointers and gave Brown a defiant look after getting benched in the first half. Monk and Brown have a strong relationship, but they had words with each other during a timeout before resolving their differences.
“I always got extra motivation when I step on the court,” Monk said. “But, yeah, me and Mike go at it all the time. That’s not our last time probably, so that was nothing. That’s just us being competitors in the heat of the moment, so that wasn’t anything. I always come in with a chip on my shoulder, so that’s nothing new.”
Monk and Brown had another talk Wednesday before the morning walkthrough.
“I did not think Malik had a good game last night, but he said this to me, and I love our relationship because we’re open and honest and we look each other in the eye, and we don’t take anything personal,” Brown said. “He started the game off slow and I didn’t say anything to him. I just took him out of the game, so I didn’t do a good job coaching Malik last night, so before our walkthrough today, I called him in my office.
“I said, ‘Malik, I’ve got to look you in your eye and I’ve got to apologize to you because I didn’t do a good job coaching you last night.’ I said, ‘I’m not apologizing for sitting you on the bench because you didn’t play well, but I’m apologizing for not coaching you last night the way that I should have. And he said, ‘I appreciate that,’ and he goes, ‘I’ve got to play better,’ and he goes, ‘I won’t look at you like that next time either.’
“So, I said, ‘Hey, you know what, you can look at me how you want.’ I said I also may not coach you the right way down the stretch again, but if anything like that happens, we need to sit down like two grownups and look each other in the eye and figure out what happened and make sure we move forward while not taking anything personal. Malik, he’s a hell of a player, and he’s a great person, too, and I’m fortunate. Not only am I fortunate, but I also enjoy coaching him because almost everything he says is real, and you appreciate that.”
Ruled out
Orlando was shorthanded after a number of key reserves were ruled out for Wednesday’s game. Joe Ingles (ankle) and Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) were ruled out early in the day. Backup point guard Cole Anthony was later ruled out due to a right quad contusion. Anthony, the team’s third-leading scorer, is averaging 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
The Magic suffered another blow when Franz Wagner went down with an ankle injury midway through the first quarter. After being helped to his feet, Wagner limped back to the locker room. The Magic later announced he would not return. X-rays were negative. The team said he was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle.
There was more bad news for the Magic in the second half when starting guard Gary Harris was ruled out due to a right calf strain. Banchero left the game briefly after spraining his right ankle in the third quarter, but he was able to return to the game.
Must-see TV
The Kings picked up another nationally televised game Wednesday when ESPN added their Jan. 12 road game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia features reigning MVP Joel Embiid, who is again playing at an MVP level with averages of 34.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.0 blocks. Tyrese Maxey is also having a stellar season, averaging 25.9 points and 6.4 assists.
The 76ers were third in the Eastern Conference going into Wednesday’s games, three games behind the conference-leading Boston Celtics.
Up next
The Kings will continue their four-game homestand when they play host to the new-look Toronto Raptors on Friday.
The Raptors recently traded OG Anunoby, long rumored as a potential trade target for the Kings, to the New York Knicks in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and a 2024 second-round draft pick. Toronto split its first two games without Anunoby. Pascal Siakam, another player who has been on the Kings’ radar in recent years, scored 35 points in a loss to the Detroit Pistons and 36 points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Upcoming schedule
Jan. 5 vs. Toronto Raptors
Jan. 7 vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Jan. 9 at Detroit Pistons
Jan. 10 at Charlotte Hornets
Jan. 12 at Philadelphia 76ers
