LeBron James' Triple-Double Lifts Anthony Davis, Lakers Past Pesky Magic
The Los Angeles Lakers won their fifth straight game by defeating the Orlando Magic 96-87 at Amway Center on Wednesday night.
The Lakers were without forward Kyle Kuzma. Mike Trudell of the team's official website reported that the 24-year-old was held out "to promote healing" after he was feeling "soreness and discomfort" in the left ankle he sprained Nov. 29.
On the flip side, the Lakers got back guard Avery Bradley. The 29-year-old had been out since Nov. 13 with a hairline fracture in his right leg. Bradley logged 17 minutes as a reserve.
The headliner for the Lakers, though, was LeBron James, who recorded his sixth triple-double of the season.
Orlando, meanwhile, remained without Nikola Vucevic. The All-Star center suffered an ankle injury Nov. 20. The Magic are now 5-5 since Vucecvic went down and 11-13 overall.
The Lakers improved to 22-3 atop the Western Conference.
Notable Stats
LAL F LeBron James: 25 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals
LAL F Anthony Davis: 16 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
LAL F Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 15 points, 3 steals
ORL F Jonathan Isaac: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
ORL G Evan Fournier: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists
ORL F Aaron Gordon: 14 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
LeBron James Compensates for Anthony Davis' Off Night
Davis missed 14 shots, and the Lakers still won by nine points.
James is the reason.
The 34-year-old three-time champion posted his sixth triple-double this season:
Davis followed up his first 50-burger of the season Sunday night by shooting 6-of-20 from the field for 16 points against the Magic. Collectively, L.A. committed 13 turnovers. Six of those were from James, who went from being the team's biggest liability to the reason they won.
James' performance fueled L.A. to its 12th consecutive road victory.
Magic Push Lakers, Sparks Fly as Dwight Howard Returns to Orlando
Howard wasn't welcomed warmly. Magic fans booed the 34-year-old Lakers center when he checked into the game at the end of the first quarter:
Howard only logged 18 minutes from the bench, but his presence was a brutal reminder for how little the Magic have been able to accomplish since the three-time Defensive Player of the Year departed in 2012 for his first stint with the Lakers in 2012-13. Orlando's first-round exit last season is the franchise's only postseason appearance since the Howard Era.
Tensions came to a head in the fourth quarter, after the Magic had clawed back despite trailing by 24 points in the second quarter:
Vucevic, Orlando's first All-Star since Howard, was absent as he continues to heal an ankle injury suffered on Nov. 20. The lopsided matchup was evident to start until the Magic pieced together an 18-3 run in the second quarter to trim their deficit:
The Lakers allowed the Magic to tie things at 71 early in the fourth quarter. The comeback began when Evan Fournier opened the second half with two three-pointers, and Orlando outscored L.A. 17-6 while going 5-of-6 from the field to start the third.
The Magic didn't have a star to counteract James down the stretch, though Jonathan Isaac stepped up:
L.A. ultimately avoided its first loss to a sub-.500 team this season in head coach Frank Vogel's first game back in Orlando since the Magic fired him in April 2018.
However, the Magic still showed they do have something brewing under second-year head coach Steve Clifford.
What's Next?
Both teams will return to action Friday night.
James will return to Miami as the Lakers take on the Heat, while the Magic will stay home and host the Houston Rockets.
