Luka Dončić
After a brief defensive effort in the first half against Orlando on Monday, the Lakers struggled to contain the Magic’s Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, ultimately losing their third consecutive game, 118-106.
Franz Wagner recorded 32 points and eight assists, while Paolo Banchero contributed 30 points and seven rebounds, leading the Orlando Magic to a 118-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. The win handed the Lakers their third consecutive loss.
Luka Dončić scored 32 points and LeBron James added 24 points and eight assists for Los Angeles, who have now dropped seven of their last 10 games.
Anthony Black came off the bench to contribute 17 points, five rebounds, and six assists for Orlando.
Austin Reaves played a key role in the first quarter, scoring eight of his 17 points early, helping the Lakers take a nine-point lead late in the first half. However, the Magic outscored the Lakers 34-18 in the third quarter to regain control of the game.
Lakers: After suffering their third consecutive loss in the opening game of a four-game road trip, the Lakers (43-28) fell into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with Memphis, who had the night off.
Magic: Orlando (34-38) snapped a six-game losing streak at home and remained in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Despite a late rally that saw the Lakers cut a 17-point deficit to just seven with 5:40 left in the game, Wagner and Banchero helped Orlando respond with a 10-0 run, including six points from layups, pushing the lead to 110-98 with 3:19 remaining.
The Magic, who are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA with an average of 104.8 points per game, shot 49.4% from the field, connected on 15 three-pointers, and committed just nine turnovers.
The Lakers will face Indiana on Wednesday night, while the Magic travel to Charlotte for a game on Tuesday night.
Luka Dončić, who led the Lakers with 32 points in the loss, reflected on the team’s earlier success, saying, “I think we should look back to the way we played during our eight-game winning streak [from February 20 to March 6]. I think we got a little bit satisfied, and we can’t afford that.”
Dončić also pointed to the leadership of himself and LeBron James to help turn things around. “I think me and Bron should be the ones to do that,” Dončić stated. “That’s on me. I’ve got to do better, talk more. I was vocal in the first half, but I kind of let my voice down, and I shouldn’t do that.”
The Lakers finally had their full roster on the floor Saturday, when James and Rui Hachimura returned from injuries that had kept them sidelined for seven and twelve games, respectively. However, Los Angeles was blown out at home by the Chicago Bulls, losing 146-111. While Monday’s loss wasn’t as disastrous, the result was the same.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick pointed to fatigue as a possible factor in the team’s recent struggles. “There’s a couple of guys, maybe from the schedule or being out of the lineup, that just look tired,” he said. “That happens periodically throughout a season when a group gets tired. That’s what it feels like right now. We weren’t able to sustain the intensity we started with.”
The Lakers had been on an eight-game winning streak following Dončić’s acquisition from the Dallas Mavericks in February, but injuries—particularly to James—have derailed their momentum. The team has lost seven of their last ten games.
Redick believes communication and a return to rhythm might be key in reversing the Lakers’ slide. However, the team’s recent defensive struggles are cause for concern. “We’ve got to get back to who we are, focusing on that,” Redick said. “With the lack of court time, prioritizing rest over shoot-arounds and walk-throughs over the past couple of weeks, we’ve developed some really bad habits defensively. That showed tonight.”
The coach also acknowledged the unusual occurrences that often happen late in the season. “To give up 81 points in a half, and have our worst defensive game of the season while we were whole, was disappointing,” he added.
Wagner, who scored 32 points, and Banchero, who added 30, were able to find their rhythm in the second half on Monday, and the Lakers had no answer for them.
Dončić commented on the challenge of guarding the Magic’s star duo, saying, “This team is built around those two, and trying to stop them is really hard. I think we started the game well and played great defense, but they made some tough shots. The way we played in the first half, we need to do that for the full 48 minutes.”
Despite being the lowest-scoring team in the NBA, the Magic shot an impressive 49.4% (42-for-85) from the field and committed only nine turnovers. The Lakers were able to block just one shot.
Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith acknowledged the team’s defensive lapses, saying, “In the third quarter, we let our offense affect our defense. It’s up to us. We’ve got to hold each other accountable. We’ve got to put together a full 48-minute game.”
