Davion Mitchell understood the assignment on Saturday night.
With Kings starting point guard De’Aaron Fox out due to a hand injury, Mitchell not only forced the game to go into overtime, but he led the Kings to a thrilling victory over the Orlando Magic at Amway Center.
“It’s really important stepping up in those times,” Mitchell told reporters after the win. “When our point guard is out, I know I have to step up. Offensively I have to be aggressive, facilitating because he also facilitates the ball really well. So I just got to keep doing those things and I feel like we’ll be in a good position to win the game.”
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The Kings wasted no time and got to work right away. The team shot a collective 66.7 percent from the field and 75 percent from the 3-point line in the first 12 minutes, and ended the first quarter with a 13-point lead.
But then the Magic woke up.
Orlando went on to outscore Sacramento 56-40 in the second and third quarters combined, taking a three-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Down 105-97 with two minutes left in regulation, a group effort from the Kings put them within two with 21.5 seconds left.
That’s when Mitchell took matters into his own hands.
As Orlando guard Cole Anthony started dribbling the ball down the court, Mitchell forced a steal with his lockdown defense and turned it into an easy layup for the Kings to tie the game, eventually sending it to OT.
And it was Harrison Barnes and Donte DiVincenzo who came in clutch in the extra period.
After a beautiful assist from Mitchell, Barnes knocked down a triple to give the Kings a three-point lead with 12 seconds left. And a made free throw from DiVincenzo made it a two-possession game that ultimately sealed the deal in Orlando.
“It was a team effort,” Mitchell said. “Everybody contributed. I think Donte did a really good job coming in and being aggressive defensively and offensively. He set that tone for us to get us to overtime. Overtime was also a team effort, getting stops down the stretch, scoring the ball and facilitating.”
Mitchell ended up finishing with a game-high 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Trey Lyles had an impressive double-double with 11 points and 18 boards.
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As interim head coach Alvin Gentry pointed out, the Kings have very little to play for at this point of the season. Still, the guys are battling and showing no sign of giving up.
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And with seven games remaining in the regular season, the team will continue to ball.
“We don’t have a lot to play for right now, we’re playing for pride mainly,” Gentry said. “Everything would have to go perfect for us to have a remote chance, but the thing that I’m impressed with is that they continued to battle and fight and try to find a way to win games.”