The Lakers fell apart in the second half, leading to a 118-106 Orlando Magic win. This marks L.A.’s third loss in a row.
Luka Dončić scored 21 of his 32 points in the first half. He also ended with seven rebounds and seven assists. LeBron James had 24 points to go with his six rebounds and eight assists. Austin Reaves pitched in with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Dorian Finney-Smith scored 14 points with seven rebounds and two steals. The bench scored an abysmal 14 points.
After a slow start, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run to take the lead. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero was one of only two players on the Magic to score. He was up to nine points and perfect from the field.
Luka then started heating up, scoring 11 straight points for the purple and gold. While that was a much-needed offensive boost, Jarred Vanderbilt unfortunately picked up three quick fouls in 14 seconds.
The Lakers then showed glimpses of showtime. Gabe Vincent stole the ball and passed it to LeBron, who then dished it to Austin for a great fastbreak layup.
Austin then returned the favor with a beautiful behind-the-back pass to LeBron for a layup.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by four.
The first quarter was highly-competitive both ways here in Orlando, with the Lakers holding a 30-26 lead, committing only 1 turnover and controlling the glass 12-9.
Doncic and Reaves combined for 19 points.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 24, 2025
Dalton Knecht opened the scoring in the second with a 3-pointer. The Lakers missed a few shots. Luka was subbed in and shot a jumper from midrange, tying the game.
Orlando jumped ahead after scoring five straight points. L.A. still struggled with defensive breakdowns that led to wide-open looks from behind the arc for the Magic.
Los Angeles heated up and went on a 9-0 scoring run, thanks to them picking up their defense and getting shots from Luka and Dorian. Former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drained his second 3-pointer of the half.
Luka scored another 3-pointer, then, on another play, he found LeBron for a layup. L.A. had gone up by nine, but the Magic started converting on their shots, going on a run of their own to erase that momentum the Lakers had built.
Franz Wagner was the second Orlando player in double-digits. He only knocked down one shot from behind the arc out of four attempts but was shooting 44% from the field.
A breakdown on defense from the Lakers led to an impressive fastbreak layup by Anthony Black. LeBron had the opportunity to score at the end of the quarter but missed two layups.
At halftime, Los Angeles was up by two.
Halftime: Lakers 60, Magic 58
Orlando closed the frame on a 7-0 run after LA had taken a nine-point lead. Luka has 21/3/3. LeBron has 14/6/3. AR has 8/3/4. LA is winning the possession battle by taking care of the ball, corralling offensive rebounds and getting to the FT line.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 25, 2025
Orlando started the second half by taking the lead but Los Angeles quickly picked up their offense to make it a back-and-forth affair.
LeBron was cooking early with six points. In one play, he had the ball and made the defender dance with him until he converted on a layup right as the shot clock expired.
Wagner continued his strong play from the first half, dropping seven points.
The Magic went up by seven, leading to a timeout by L.A. Out of the break, Dorian tipped in a layup off a missed shot from Luka. Midway into the quarter, the Lakers were down by double digits.
Los Angeles had no answer for Banchero, who continued to have his way with them. A 13-2 Magic scoring run had made the Lakers play out of sync. L.A. had gone three minutes without a field goal until Luka drained a 3-pointer.
The game quickly got away from the team, with just Luka scoring twice and the rest of the team falling apart. L.A. found themselves down by 14 going into the fourth.
Orlando outscored LA 34-18 in the 3rd Q to take a 92-78 lead into the 4th Q.
Lakers are shooting 43.5% and 30.8% from 3 to ORL’s 50.8% and 38.7%.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 25, 2025
The final frame began with the Lakers winning the first minute with a layup by Gabe and a pair of free throws by Austin after he was fouled. Wagner scored on a hook shot following that. Austin found himself trapped with the ball and had to call an early timeout.
Los Angeles missed a few shots in a row, leading to Orlando opening up a bigger lead again. In true Lakers fashion, they started trying to mount a comeback, cutting a 17-point Magic lead to 10.
KCP fouled Luka on a 3-point attempt, leading to three free throws that he made. Wagner scored six crucial points for the Magic, helping them stay afloat while the Lakers kept trying to mount a big comeback.
With under three minutes left to play, the comeback hopes were gone.
Key Takeaways:
What happened to the great defense they had discovered they could play? Where’d it go?
L.A. needs to figure out how to have stronger third quarters. Far too many times they’ve lost a game after coming out flat and out of sync in the second half.
The struggles make sense, as this team did have injuries pile up and players resting right as they hit a good groove. Unfortunately, it’s a dangerous time in the season to start struggling.
The Lakers’ next matchup is against the Indiana Pacers on Monday at 4:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
