After a rough loss to the Chicago Bulls to close out their homestand, the Los Angeles Lakers now hit the road for four games, starting with the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
This is a chance for revenge for the Lakers as they notably lost to the Magic on a buzzer-beater by Franz Wagner earlier in the season at Crypto.com Arena. L.A. was essentially leading the whole game but failed to make free throws down the stretch, and Wagner made them pay with a triple to beat the buzzer.
The Lakers’ roster is obviously much different this time around though, and they are finally healthy and looking to build some chemistry ahead of the playoffs.
This game represents a great chance for L.A. to get back rolling to start their trip as the Magic have dealt with a lot of injuries this season and have struggled as a result. They are just 4-8 in their last 12 games and 9-15 in their last 24. Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Moritz Wagner and some of their other players have been out with injuries, leading to the poor record in the second half of the season.
Despite that though, they still have two stars in Wagner and Paolo Banchero as well as a lot of size on the interior and perimeter, which could poses some problems for the Lakers.
The Lakers got both LeBron James and Rui Hachimura back against the Bulls, although they looked a little rusty after missing a couple weeks of action. Hachimura’s knee is clearly still not 100% healthy but despite being listed as questionable in this one, he is expected to give it a go.
Having both James and Hachimura available gives the Lakers some much-needed size on the wing, and the hope is they will look more like their normals selves in their second game back.
JJ Redick is running out of time to figure out the lineups and rotations that work best for this team, but more importantly, the Lakers need to stack up wins on this road trip and it starts in Orlando on Monday night.
Los Angeles Lakers (43-27) vs. Orlando Magic (33-38)
4 p.m. PT, March 24, 2025
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
TV: Spectrum SportsNet, NBA TV
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin, Dalton Knecht
Projected Magic Starting Lineup:
PG: Cory Joseph
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Franz Wagner
PF: Paolo Banchero
C: Wendell Carter Jr.
Key Reserves: Tristan da Silva, Jonathan Isaac, Anthony Black, Goga Bitadze, Gary Harris
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