The Los Angeles Lakers began their last extended road trip of the regular season on Monday night, taking on the Orlando Magic at Kia Center.
After losing to the Magic on a buzzer-beater early in the season, the Lakers were looking to return to the favor and get back on track with a win. Ultimately, they weren’t able to do that as a bad third quarter was the difference for the Lakers in a 118-106 defeat.
Coming off a disappointing loss at home, the Lakers were playing with a purpose early in this one, jumping out to a 7-2 lead with Austin Reaves scoring five points. Luka Doncic and LeBron James both got off to slow starts offensively though and the Magic tied it at 12 going into the first timeout.
It didn’t take long for Doncic to heat up as he got to the free throw line and ripped off 11 straight points. Paolo Banchero went on a similar hot streak and Jarred Vanderbilt picked up three fouls in about 10 seconds, but the Lakers still led 30-26 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lakers went cold to begin the second and needed a timeout after an 18-9 spurt by the Magic to take the lead. That timeout did the trick though as Doncic proceeded to lead an 11-0 run for L.A.
While the Lakers built a lead up to nine, the Magic ended the half strong to cut their deficit to 60-58 going into the locker room.
James was in a rhythm offensively to start the third, but the Lakers otherwise went ice cold. Meanwhile, the Magic caught fire from deep with Franz Wagner leading his team. They were also using their size to crash the offensive glass and get to the free throw line.
Outside of a pair of triples by Doncic, the Lakers had a horrific third quarter and found themselves facing a 92-78 deficit going into the fourth. Orlando outscored L.A. 34-18 in the third alone.
the Lakers show some signs of life with four straight points to begin the fourth, although the Magic quickly responded with an 8-1 run to keep their lead at double digits.
At that point the Lakers were facing desperation with time not on their side. They did rip off a 10-0 run, but L.A. made too many little mistakes down the stretch to mount a real comeback. Wagner and Banchero hit some big shots in the final minutes, securing the victory for Orlando and another disappointing loss for the Lakers.
