The Sacramento Kings hope their second bold in-season change works out as well as the first one has so far.
Sacramento has gone 12-6 since promoting Doug Christie as interim coach to replace the fired Mike Brown, and the Kings took another step in their playoff push by trading for two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine on Monday.
LaVine is expected to make his team debut when Sacramento hosts the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
The Kings acquired LaVine from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team trade that saw Sacramento deal star point guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Kings also got second-year forward Sidy Cissoko from the Spurs in the seven-player, seven-draft pick blockbuster. Sacramento received six of the picks.
LaVine sat out his last three games as a Bull for personal reasons. He joins a Kings team that has lost four of six after winning 10 of 11 to move up in the Western Conference playoff race. Sacramento entered Monday in the three-way tie for the second play-in spot in the Western Conference.
As was the case when Brown was fired, Kings standout big man Domantas Sabonis said the key to another potential stretch of good play is to focus on the task at hand, not be bothered by the loss of a friend.
“It’s been a crazy year, a lot of change,” Sabonis told the Sacramento Bee. “It (stinks), but we’ve just got to somehow come together, be professional and keep this thing moving forward.”
LaVine was playing well before his absence. He averaged 26.4 points in his last five games, shooting 48.9 percent overall and 38.6 percent on 3-pointers.
LaVine faced Orlando twice with Chicago this season, totaling just 19 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
While the Kings are coming off a six-game trip, the Magic are continuing their own six-game trip with their fifth straight on the road. They’ve lost the first four, failing to reach 100 points in their last three defeats at Portland, Utah and Golden State.
Monday’s 104-99 loss against the Warriors was encouraging in that, after 29- and 14-point drubbings, Orlando had a chance late against Golden State, taking a 92-90 lead into the final four minutes. Cole Anthony had 26 points in the losing effort.
Still, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley did not blame a 14-7 game-ending run by the Warriors as the difference in the loss.
“We always talk about it coming down to those final possessions. It’s never that,” Mosley said. “It’s a 39-point third quarter (by Golden State), where you let go a little bit, your communication breaks off, you don’t knock some shots down, you look at a 15-0 free-throw count.”
Orlando has been outscored 84-67 at the foul line during its four-game losing streak. The Magic have gotten to the line just 90 times, compared to the opponents’ 110.
It’s not for a lack of aggressiveness, Mosley assured.
“We had 52 points in the paint, attacked the basket 47 times, and (shot) 10 free throws,” he said after the Golden State game.
Orlando and Sacramento will be meeting for the first time this season. The Magic will host the Kings on March 29.
