After a thrilling overtime win against the L.A. Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers embarked on a four-game road trip starting with a rematch against the Orlando Magic.
However, it was the Magic that got the best of the Lakers this time as they earned a 120-101 victory to spoil the opener of L.A.’s road trip.
Los Angeles got off to a solid start against the shorthanded Orlando team with LeBron James scoring five quick points to give them an early 7-4 lead. The Magic responded with a 9-0 run keyed by Franz Wagner, but Anthony Davis took it upon himself to stop their momentum and tied the game up at 20.
However, Orlando caught fire from the field and ran up an 13-0 spurt to make it 33-20. Christian Wood was able to snap the run with a 3-pointer, but Los Angeles would end the first quarter trailing 39-25.
With James back on the floor, the Lakers opened the second with a 10-2 run to cut into the Magic lead. Orlando pushed back and took back some control of the game as Los Angeles struggled to take care of the basketball.
As soon as James exited the game, the Magic went another run to go back up by 16 points. L.A. failed time after time to corral defensive rebounds which resulted in numerous second-chance points for Orlando that left them trailing 67-51 at halftime. The Magic had 26 second-chance points in the first half alone compared to just seven for the Lakers.
Paolo Banchero and Wagner continued to torment Los Angeles’ defense, though the Lakers tried to get back into the game by scoring in the paint. Although L.A. trailed by double digits, Davis managed to will them back into it despite being in foul trouble.
No matter how many times the Lakers threatened to get over the hump, the Magic had an answer and maintained control of the game. Things were just not going L.A.’s way as they blew several easy looks at the basket and went into the final period down 101-80.
Darvin Ham opted to roll with his regulars to begin the fourth in an effort to mount a comeback, but they had no answers for Orlando defensively. James was able to get the Laker offense out of the mud with some tough baskets, trying to get the team to make one more run as they trimmed the deficit down to 15.
Los Angeles managed to stay within striking distance as they battled on both ends to make Orlando feel some pressure. However, Cole Anthony ended their run with a 3-pointer that forced Ham to turn to the end of his bench and concede defeat.
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