LeBron James is back, but the Los Angeles Lakers continue to lose.
The first game of a vital five-game road trip for the Lakers began with a thud in Orlando. The Magic rode scintillating performances from its star players to beat James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers on Monday night — and James subtly made his displeasure clear, days after the 40-year-old attempted to rally the troops in the heat of a playoff chase.
James did not stick around Orlando’s Kia Center to speak to the media after the Lakers lost, 118-106, to the Magic. In his second game back from a groin injury, James scored 24 points in 38 minutes; Doncic led the Lakers with 32 points, but the duo were powerless in the third quarter, when Orlando outscored LA by 16 points.
Monday’s defeat did the Lakers no favors as they hunt down the Houston Rockets for the #2 seed in the Western Conference and a more-favorable matchup in the first round of the NBA playoffs, which begin next month. Los Angeles (43-28) is 2.5 games behind Houston with just 11 games left on its schedule; the Lakers also trail the Denver Nuggets (45-28), while the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors are both within two games of the purple and gold.
Los Angeles’ team defense will have to improve significantly after Orlando duo Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combined for 62 points on Monday; the Magic outrebounded the Lakers and shot a better percentage from beyond the arc as well. Against the Indiana Pacers in a nationally-televised game on Wednesday night, LeBron, Luka, and the Lakers will have to step up with a much-improved effort in order to gain ground on its rivals.
