From late-game execution to rebounding and a third-quarter scoring drought, the Lakers’ loss versus the Magic demonstrated areas for improvement.
LOS ANGELES — While losses are commonplace in every NBA season, the Lakers’ six-game winning streak ended in a brutal 119-118 loss to the Magic on Thursday night.
The Lakers went 2-6 from the free throw line in the final 40 seconds of a game they lost by just one point.
“Every loss is frustrating,” JJ Redick said postgame. “There’s certain losses that you could point to a lack of will and competitiveness and physicality to start a game and then you’re having to fight that and we’ve had that in a few.
“The Phoenix game and this game, where it comes down to late game and it can swing on a couple plays and frankly, it swung on our missed free throw tonight.”
Many will look at Anthony Davis for blame in this loss, given that he went 1-4 from the charity stripe and missed the game-winner on the final possession, but it was the series of events prior that hinted at this result.
“We got outscored 29-21 [in the third quarter],” LeBron James said. “We had a seven-point lead at halftime and they took the lead in the third, so it’s a lot of game between the game. You can’t just point to one thing.”
Such a scoring drought might’ve been okay against the sub-.500 opponents they defeated during this winning streak, like the Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors. However, the Magic demonstrated that, against top-level competition, such a lapse in execution could prove costly.
The Magic were dominant on the boards, outrebounding L.A. 48-36. Franz Wagner was at the center of it, pulling a game-high 11 rebounds while also scoring 37 points, including the game-winning stepback 3-pointer over Cam Reddish.
Orlando is a physical team with players like Wagner and Jalen Suggs roaming the court and they were as good as advertised during this matchup.
“They’re super physical,” Dalton Knecht said after the loss. “They came out and pretty much from the jump, they were crashing the boards hard and I think that’s something that we got to emphasize in the next game is to crush the boards and make sure we get the ball so we can get out in transition. That’s when we play our best.”
The frustration from a game that would’ve been a great win but ended as a disappointing loss was obvious. Fans exited quietly after cheering loudly just minutes ago for LeBron 3-pointers and some impressive finishes at the rim by AD.
Postgame conversations were brief as Davis and LeBron spoke for fractions of the time they have during the recent winning streak. The often long-winded Redick was brief in his postgame thoughts as well.
There’s no shame in losing to a tough team like the Orlando Magic, who currently are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. But it’s a reminder that there is still work to be done in Los Angeles.
The tests don’t get any easier for the Lakers, though. Awaiting them on Saturday will be the Denver Nuggets, a team that has served as the kryptonite to the Lakers over the last two seasons.
These are much different versions of the teams that met in last year’s playoffs. The Nuggets currently sit below the Lakers in the standings and have not had Nikola Jokic for the last three games.
But tests come in all shapes and sizes. The Lakers failed one against the Magic, but can pass a big one on Saturday. In doing so, it would make Thursday’s loss just a bump in the road during the long trip that is an 82-game NBA season.
It is, as some coaches might say, a marathon.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
