Looking for their 7th straight win tonight, the Lakers battled hard at home against against the Orlando Magic. In a hotly contested affair that was close all night long, the Lakers were defeated by a single point (119-118) after a late-game three-pointer by Franz Wagner sealed their fate.
The two teams traded baskets for most of the night and a combination of poor shooting and second-chance points allowed the Magic to take the lead in the second half. It wasn’t until the very final frame that things shifted decisively in the Lakers’ direction. Still, it wasn’t enough to win as several key mistakes allowed the Magic to make a run in the final minutes of the game.
Despite the loss, LeBron James was the player of the game tonight with an amazing performance. He dropped 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists on 54.5% shooting and 5-9 shooting from three. Anthony Davis was crucial in the game, with a stat line of 39 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 30:06 minutes. Young guard Dalton Kneht had another impressive showing with 17 points and 4 rebounds on 50% shooting.
On the other side, Franz Wagner was the standout player for the Magic. While he tried to force it at times, he was still the leading scorer for his club with 37 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds on 13-26 shooting. Jalen Suggs was also in his bag tonight with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 5-13 shooting from three.
In one of two games against the Magic this season, the Lakers were hoping to flex their talent and show why they are back to being contenders in the West. Instead, they collapsed down the stretch due to several big mistakes which they will be working to correct.
Crucial Missed Free Throws Down The Stretch
The Lakers shot the ball relatively well tonight but they couldn’t make it when it mattered. The Lakers are usually among the NBA’s top free-throw merchants but they left 9 points at the charity stripe tonight by shooting just 65.4% (17-26).
What’s been worse is all the missed free throws in the clutch, including a pair of misses from Anthony Davis that would have put the Lakers up by four with seconds to play. Even sharpshooter Austin Reaves missed a pair of free throws tonight, going 2-5 overall.
Since the Magic were hanging around all night, they were able to capitalize off the Lakers’ misses and secure a chance to win the game down the stretch. It all happened so fast and before the Lakers even realized what was happening, the game was over and they were down by one.
Major Struggles For Austin Reaves
Young guard Austin Reaves has been one of the Lakers’ biggest recent success stories and his rise to prominence has been well documented across the NBA. But this season, fans have noticed that Reaves isn’t playing up to his standards.
For the season, Austin is averaging 17.9 points and 5.4 assists on 45% shooting but he was especially bad in this game with just 9 points and 2 turnovers on 25% shooting from the field. He was basically a no-show offensively, putting a larger burden on guys like LeBron James and Dalton Knecht to pick up the scoring load.
It remains to be seen when Austin will snap out of this slump, but the Lakers will need more from him if they’re to make a run this season. With D’Angelo Russell assigned to a bench role, it’s on Reaves to get back on track and return to being the lethal scorer that earned him so much success with the Purple and Gold.
Offensive Rebounding Cost Them The Game
One of the Lakers’ biggest weak points this season has been cleaning the glass. They currently rank 19th in the NBA in opponent rebounds allowed and are 27th in average rebounds per game at just 40.4.
The Lakers were once again out-rebounded tonight by a smaller Magic team, who grabbed 48 boards compared to the Lakers’ 36. The Magic were allowed 15 second-chance points opportunities and it could have very well made the difference in the final result.
This fatal flaw is likely why the Lakers are looking to add an extra big man to the rotation. With more size and depth in the frontcourt, it will take some pressure off of Davis and give the team more flexibility with their lineups. Clearly, with their current format, the Lakers are not a great rebounding team and they’ll have to clean up that area of the game if they want to have any playoff success.
Needless to say, this game was a heartbreaker for the Lakers. They had the win within their grasp but a few mistakes down the stretch cost them the victory and their place within the top three in the West.
Fortunately, the Lakers will have a number of chances to redeem themselves over the next few days. Tomorrow, November 3rd, the Lakers will continue their homestand with a game against the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 PM EST. On the 26th, they are scheduled to play the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center before facing the Spurs at Frost Bank Center to complete the second night of their back-to-back.
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