The Los Angeles Lakers have had LeBron James back from his groin injury for two games. In those two games, they have come up empty and lost both of them.
After losing to the Chicago Bulls by a final score of 146-115 in his return to the court, the Lakers lost again on Monday night to the Orlando Magic.
In Monday's loss to the Magic, James scored 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting to go along with seven assists and six rebounds. Luka Doncic poured in 32 points on 9-for-23 shooting, while also chipped in seven rebounds and seven assists.
That was not enough, as Los Angeles fell by a final score of 118-106.
With the playoffs right around the corner, the Lakers need to figure out their struggles quickly.
Following the loss to Orlando, head coach JJ Redick spoke out with a short and blunt take about the team's struggles since James returned to the lineup.
"We're going through it a little bit," Redick said, as shared by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
JJ Redick: "We're going through it a little bit"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 25, 2025
To begin the game, Los Angeles looked strong. They took a 30-26 lead over the Magic to end the first quarter.
Redick opened up about what happened following that first quarter.
"We weren't able to sustain the level of intensity we started the game with," he said.
It was the third quarter that ended up losing the game for the Lakers. They were outscored 34-18 by Orlando in that period.
Next up for Los Angeles will be a Wednesday night game on the road against the Indiana Pacers.
Related: ESPN Analyst Names 2 Teams the Lakers Don't Want to See in the NBA Playoffs
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This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM.