Magic halt home skid with impressive win over Lakers

Field Level Media|published: Mon 24th March, 22:02 2025

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic

Mar 24, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives to the basket past Orlando Magic guard Caleb Houstan (2) in the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Powered by 32 points from Franz Wagner, 30 from Paolo Banchero and a monster third quarter, the Orlando Magic blew past the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 118-106 on Monday night.

The victory snapped a six-game home losing streak for the Magic (34-38).

Luka Doncic matched Wagner with 32 points for the Lakers (43-28), while LeBron James added 24 but the Lakers faltered on defense in the second half, allowing the Magic to take over.

Down two at halftime, Orlando broke things open in the third quarter with a 13-2 run to build an 84-72 lead. That advantage grew to as much as 17 as Orlando outscored the Lakers 34-18 in the quarter.

The Lakers trimmed the lead to seven with 5:39 left, but Wagner - who also had nine assists - answered with a pair of baskets and a straight-on three to push the lead back to double digits with 3:50 to go.

Both teams traded baskets early. Banchero had 11 of his team's first 14 points while Doncic gave Los Angeles its first spurt with a one-man 7-0 run that included four free throws and a long three to make it 22-16 Lakers. The Lakers nursed a four-point lead at the first-quarter buzzer.

In the second quarter the momentum swayed dramatically. Tristan da Silva picked James' pocket and drove for an uncontested layup to give Orlando a 35-33 lead. That kickstarted an 11-6 run for Orlando capped by a three by Anthony Black, who scored 17 points off the bench.

Los Angeles roared back with a 21-7 run fueled by eight points from Doncic, who had 21 in the first half, and six more from James. The Lakers had their biggest lead at 60-51 with under a minute to play in the half, but the Magic scored seven straight to end the frame and trailed by two.

The most notable part of the first half was that the Lakers' Jarred Vanderbilt was whistled for three personal fouls in a 14-second span.

Before the game, former Orlando Magic star and 2004 No. 1 overall pick Dwight Howard, who finished his career with the Lakers, was inducted into the Magic's Hall of Fame.

-Field Level Media

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