Lakers stumble again, lose 3rd straight game to Magic with Playoff spot far from certain

Lakers stumble again, lose 3rd straight game to Magic with Playoff spot far from certain

Ifeanyi Ufomadu 17:19 - 25.03.2025

The Los Angeles Lakers lost 118-106 to the Orlando Magic to fall to 3-7 over their last 10 games.

The Los Angeles Lakers endured another painful defeat and have now lost seven of their last ten games.

Orlando Magic handed them a 118-106 reality check, with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero carving up the Lakers’ defense for 62 combined points.

It’s their third straight loss, and despite having LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and Rui Hachimura back in the lineup, the Lakers look lost.

“We’ve got to get back to who we are,” coach JJ Redick said postgame. “Right now, we’re not playing with the kind of defensive identity we need.”

Dončić led with 32 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, James added 24 points and eight assists, while Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed, but it didn’t matter—Wagner (32 points, eight assists) and Banchero (30 points, seven rebounds) ran the show.

At 43-28, the Lakers are tied for fourth in the West with Memphis, just three games ahead of the eighth-place Timberwolves and Clippers.

With 11 games left, another stumble could dump them into the Play-In Tournament they’ve fought all season to avoid.

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