Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another setback in their NBA playoff push on Monday, falling 118-106 to the Orlando Magic, who notched their first home victory since February. Despite 32 points from Luka Doncic and 24 from LeBron James, the Lakers dropped their third straight game and at 43-28 are now tied with the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for fourth place in the Western Conference.
Franz Wagner scored 32 points and Paolo Banchero added 30 for the Magic, who out-scored the Lakers 34-18 in the third quarter to seize control of the contest. The defeat follows the Lakers’ blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls in James’s first game back after missing seven games with a groin injury. The Lakers had hoped James, Doncic, and a newly healthy Rui Hachimura would fuel a strong stretch run in the West.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are assured of the top seed, but the Denver Nuggets, Lakers, and Grizzlies are all within two and a half games of the second-placed Houston Rockets. But Lakers coach JJ Redick said that his players are lacking the defensive intensity they displayed in an eight-game winning streak that had briefly pushed them to second in the standings. “We can get back there,” Redick said, adding that the injury-enforced lineup changes may have taken a toll. “We look tired,” he said. “I don’t know what contributes to that …we weren’t able to sustain our level of intensity that we started the game out with.”
The Lakers did cut a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to seven with 5:39 remaining, but the Magic — eighth in the Eastern Conference — swiftly pulled away again. Redick said the Lakers can also use some practice time to get recently returned players reintegrated. “We’ve got to get back into the flow and the rhythm,” he said. “It’s not just (the returning players) getting back into the flow, but it’s the group and how the group functions.”
The Indiana Pacers, fueled by 24 points and 11 assists from Tyrese Haliburton, grabbed a fifth straight victory, 119-103 over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Obi Toppin made six three-pointers on the way to 20 points for the Pacers, who preserved their narrow lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the race for the fourth seed in the East. The Bucks play the Suns in Phoenix later Monday.
Naz Reid scored 20 points off the bench to lead the Timberwolves, who are eighth in the West but just one game out of sixth place and the chance to avoid the play-in tournament. In other games, the Dallas Mavericks welcomed Anthony Davis back to action with a victory, beating the Nets 120-101 in Brooklyn. Davis returned after missing six weeks with an adductor injury — suffered in his first game for the Mavs after the stunning trade that brought him from the Lakers in exchange for Doncic. Davis scored 12 points on six-of-nine shooting in 26 minutes on the floor. Naji Marshall scored 22 points off the bench as the Mavs posted a second successive victory.
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