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Despite hurricane NorCal raging on outside, the Sacramento Kings<\/a> were able to once again light the beam with a very impressive win against the Orlando Magic,<\/a> blowing them out 136-111 at home.<\/p>\n The Kings played some fantastic basketball tonight and gave the fans a show on Star Wars tonight, especially Harrison Barnes who went from the Black Falcon to the Millennium Falcon.<\/p>\n Here are seven takeaways from the win:<\/p>\n The Kings came out the gate firing on all cylinders tonight. In the first quarter, they shot 17-for-24 from the field and 7-for-11 from three-point range to take an early 41-31 lead. But it didn\u2019t stop there. They would continue shooting well into the second quarter, knocking down 55.8 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three to finish the half with a 72-52 lead.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t just their points that led them to a 20-point lead. The Kings went on to finish the first half with an stunning 20 assists to go along with 8 offensive boards. Simply electric offense! It was clear that they walked into the Golden 1 Center with victory on their minds. <\/p>\n For those of you that watch NFL Redzone, you know about the witching hour, \u201cwhen wins become loses and loses become wins\u201d as host Scott Hanson so eloquently says each week. For the Sacramento Kings, the witching hour equivalent is the third quarter. The Kings never have just an average time coming out of the half, it\u2019s always good or horrible. And tonight was both.<\/p>\n The Magic were able to cut the 20-point lead at half to 11 thanks to a 12-2 run midway through the quarter, prompting a trademark Mike brown timeout. The Kings looked like they were beginning to fold. But whatever was said in the huddle definitely worked, as the now 11-point lead ballooned back up to 23 \u2014 and would have been 24 if not for Malik Monk getting a technical \u2014 to end the quarter. The Kings need to become consistent and stay focused coming out of the break. far too often they lose games or make things close with their sloppy and almost lethargic third quarter play. An issue that is not unique to this season.<\/p>\n HB went nuclear tonight. He was hot as fish grease all night and was the biggest offensive factor for the Kings in their win. After starting 9-for-9 for 23 points from the field, he finished the game with 30 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist while shooting an impressive 11-for-13 from the field and 6-for-7 from deep. He was reliable, he was confident and he showed everyone that he\u2019s still got it. He\u2019s been hot all month averaging 21 points per game to start the new year. Hopefully this trend is consistent to finish the season.<\/p>\n Love this play from the Kings to counter ORL’s coverage.<\/p>\n They fake the double drag and let Domantas Sabonis find the slipping Harrison Barnes in a high-low action of sorts. pic.twitter.com\/S9y5A8e3fZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) January 10, 2023<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nGreat Start<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Our old friend the third quarter<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Harrison Barnes in January<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Dominant bench play<\/strong><\/h2>\n