The Los Angeles Lakers started a four-game road trip on Saturday against the Orlando Magic, looking to improve their 3-2 record and build momentum.
Instead, they succumbed to the same problems that have been plaguing them to start the season: slow starts and poor defensive rebounding. The first half was an embarrassment for the Lakers: They committed 11 turnovers, gave up 67 points and trailed by 16 points at halftime. As has been the case in just about every game so far this season, their perimeter defense was weak — the Magic shot 7-of-15 from 3-point range in the first half — and they couldn’t control their defensive boards. Los Angeles was outrebounded, 27-14, and gave up a whopping 26 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds in the first half.
The situation grew even worse in the second half for L.A. It trailed by as many as 25 points, and although it made a modest mini-run to come to within 13 in the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer by Cole Anthony with 4:05 left ended its faint hope of making a real extended run.
The Lakers fell to the young Magic, 120-101, and are 3-3 on the season. They head southeast to play the Miami Heat, the defending Eastern Conference champions, on Monday.