For the first time this season, the Lakers lost when leading after three quarters, falling to the Magic at home on Tuesday, 110-109. A putback layup from Wendell Carter Jr. after a missed jumper from Paolo Banchero with 6.7 seconds left put Orlando up.
Luka Dončić had a chance to win the game with a three, but hesitated, allowing the defense to recover, forcing a pass to LeBron James whose off-balance shot missed at the buzzer..
LA led for the near entirety of the first three quarters, building a 12-point lead in the second and third quarters. However, a huge game by Paolo Banchero and big fourth quarter from Desmond Bane made it a tight game down the stretch.
The Magic crushed the Lakers in second-chance opportunities, scoring **15** points on **13** offensive rebounds.
The game began with LeBron James setting the tone with 10 points, including two triples. Deandre Ayton was the next highest scorer with four points. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane combined for eight points for the Magic.
LA built a lead of seven. Orlando then responded well, cutting Los Angeles’ lead down to two.
Carter Jr.’s nine points helped the Magic trim the deficit. The Lakers had no answer for him, allowing him to have a free path to the rim.
Luke Kennard scored a quick four points off the bench after entering the game. Los Angeles held off Orlando on the shoulders of Luka Dončić, who was now in double figures with 11 points. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by eight.
Tristan da Silva started the second period by converting on a hook shot for the Magic. LA still had no answer for Carter Jr., who was now at 15 points for the half. The Lakers only had three offensive rebounds compared to Orlando’s five.
With 6:20 left until halftime, Austin Reaves was still scoreless on four shot attempts.
Da Silva knocked down two more 3-pointers as he had not missed a shot. Ayton was now the third player in double figures for the Lakers with 15 points. Neither team seemed to have the answer for each other’s centers. Ayton was scoring easily on hook shots.
Luckily for LA, Desmond Bane was 0-5 from behind the arc. Going into halftime, Los Angeles was up by three.
Reaves started the third period by converting on a pair of free throws for his first two points of the game. Reaves also connected with LeBron for an impressive alley-oop. After Reaves knocked down a 3-pointer, Orlando had to call a timeout, trailing by 10.
Out of the break, the Magic missed on a shot from behind the arc. On the other end, Reaves scored on a jumper in the paint. Paolo Banchero scored four in a row to stop some of the bleeding for Orlando.
The Magic cut the deficit down to five with 6:37 left until the fourth.
A quick six straight points for LA put some more cushion on their lead. Orlando answered right back with Banchero continuing to lead the way with 17 points in the quarter, making it a one-point game. He was also 10-10 from the charity stripe.
Los Angeles turned the ball over with seven seconds left, but decent defense on the other end protected their one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Marcus Smart started the final frame by converting on a free throw. Bane responded by knocking down a pair of jumpers, giving Orlando their first lead since the first quarter.. LeBron ended that lead with a jump shot.
Reaves put Los Angeles back in the lead with a layup.
It was Bane’s quarter as he scored another five points, putting the Magic back ahead. Reaves aggressive play was helping keep the Lakers from falling apart. He tied the game after completing a three-point play.
Jonathan Isaac was left wide-open for an easy slam to retake the lead for Orlando,
The Lakers were shooting 50% from the field in the quarter, while the Magic were shooting 58%. After Orlando went up by five, Los Angeles responded with five straight points to tie the game.
Both teams were battling hard and exchanging the lead. Luka was having a tough offensive game, but suddenly turned the jets on, converting on two big-time shots.
With 1:25 left, LA was nursing a three-point lead until Banchero converted on a layup to cut it to one again. Luka was then fouled from behind the arc; Orlando challenged the call and won. It led to a jump ball, which the Lakers won.
LeBron was then fouled with 44 seconds left in regulation, splitting the free throws to put LA up two. Bane knocked down a 3-pointer on the other end that put the Magic up by one with 34 seconds left.
Hachimura missed a triple, but Los Angeles got the ball back and LeBron dunked to give the Lakers the lead back. On the other end, Carter Jr. grabbed the offensive rebound and converted on a layup to give them the lead again.
LA had 6.7 seconds left to get the win, but they fumbled it with Luka passing up an open 3-pointer to pass to LeBron, who had to take a bad shot that he missed.
Luka finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists. LeBron notched 21 points with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Ayton pitched in with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Reaves had a slow offensive game with 18 points. Kennard scored nine points off the bench. Hachimura ended with 10 points.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday at 6:00 PM PT.
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