Lakers player grades: L.A. squeaks by the Magic behind Austin Reaves

Just when it looked like the Lakers were about to lose yet again, this time against the Magic, Austin Reaves wouldn’t allow it to happen.

The Los Angeles Lakers got back into the win column on Sunday after losing three of their last four games with a victory over the Orlando Magic. However, they didn’t look impressive.

Los Angeles fell behind early. Although it went ahead by double digits in the second quarter, it was unable to capitalize on that advantage. Instead, it allowed Orlando to chip away and make the game very competitive throughout the fourth quarter.

Luckily, for the Lakers, Austin Reaves had the game of his life.

He helped give them their initial lead in the first half, and down the stretch, as the Magic threatened to hand L.A. its third straight loss, he powered his team and got it a 111-105 win.

The win put the Lakers back into 10th place in the Western Conference while bringing them to within 1.5 games of the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks. They will face a stiff challenge on Wednesday when the Phoenix Suns, sans Kevin Durant, come to town.