LOS ANGELES – From an early hot streak to a mid-game slump to a heartbreaker at the end, a matinee Lakers loss to the Orlando Magic was a roller coaster.
But even though the Lakers made it interesting, it was still a home defeat on Sunday afternoon, a 108-104 loss that broke a three-game winning streak. The only team that’s beaten the Lakers in the last nine games is the Magic, who were paced by Nikola Vucevic’s 31 points.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 24 points, but a stepback three that would’ve put the Lakers ahead in the final minute was off-target. The Lakers fell to 11-8.
It was the third quarter when the Lakers were completely dismantled, being outscored 35-19. The team went just 5 for 21 in the period, with only Lance Stephenson hitting more than one shot. Meanwhile the Magic heated up thanks to Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, who outscored the Lakers by themselves in the decisive period, leading by 15 points when it was over.
The Lakers’ comeback was led by Brandon Ingram, who scored 10 of his 17 points in the final period. James twice brought the margin to five points with crowd-pleasing dunks in transition, then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a three with three minutes left to bring it to two points.
The game was tied at 104 with two minutes left when James hit a pair of free throws with a roar of approval from the Sunday-afternoon Staples Center crowd. But the Lakers were held scoreless the rest of the way.
Postgame Report: Magic 115, Knicks 89 NEW YORK – A budding basketball star and a first-time actor in a major-motion picture this past summer, Aaron Gordon dressed stylishly on Sunday…Read More
