The Los Angeles Lakers got a much-needed win, beating the Orlando Magic 129-110 to snap a four-game losing streak.
It was a rough start for Patrick Beverley who missed his first three shot attempts, but LeBron James managed to hit the first field goal of the night with a baseline jumper. Beverley eventually redeemed himself, though, by knocking down a trio of threes to give the Lakers an early 14-9 lead.
Orlando briefly retook the lead after a Markelle Fultz 3-pointer, but the bench backcourt for Los Angeles answered on the other end to keep them ahead by three. Russell Westbrook gave the Lakers a jolt offensively with his scoring and playmaking, leading the team into the second with a 33-27 lead.
Westbrook and James kept the Laker offense rolling by picking up the pace, with the latter getting free looks at the rim to push their lead to nine. Los Angeles continued to apply pressure, carving up Orlando’s defense to keep them well ahead.
The Lakers opened up a double-digit lead midway through the period thanks to Lonnie Walker IV, who went on a personal 8-0 run, but the Magic responded with a 7-0 run of their own to cut it back to nine. Fortunately, L.A. was able to reclaim the momentum on both ends of the floor to close the half and they went into the locker room leading 65-55.
It was a solid start for the Lakers to begin the third as they were able to keep the Magic from making a dent in their lead. Bol Bol scored five quick points, but James went back to attacking the basket to keep Orlando at bay.
Each time the Magic looked like they were going to mount a run, James was there on the other end scoring and making sure the Lakers stayed in front. Wenyen Gabriel provided his usual energy off the bench and he helped keep L.A. leading 92-83.
Westbrook was a spark at the beginning of the fourth as he controlled the offense, even recording another triple-double in the process after finding Thomas Bryant for a jumper. Troy Brown Jr. caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting three 3-pointers to up the lead to 13.
Although Orlando started to find a groove offensively, L.A. kept pace with them to maintain their double-digit lead. Down the stretch, the Lakers were able to exploit the Magic’s interior defense and they would finally snap their losing streak.
Westbrook’s third triple-double of the season tied Detlef Schrempf’s record for most triple-doubles off the bench in league history. He finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, filling up the stat sheet in the victory.
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