The Orlando Magic finally broke their six-game home losing streak on Monday night with an emphatic win over the Los Angeles Lakers, handing the visitors their third consecutive defeat.
Orlando pulled off a commanding 118-106 victory, powered by stellar performances from Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.
Wagner lit up the court with 32 points and nine assists, while Banchero contributed 30 points and seven rebounds. Despite trailing 60-58 at half-time, the Magic outscored the Lakers 34-18 in the third quarter, shifting momentum decisively in their favor.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 32 points, and LeBron James added 24 points and eight assists. However, the Lakers, plagued by fatigue, couldn’t sustain their early intensity.
“We look tired,” admitted Lakers coach JJ Redick. “I don’t know what contributes to that. We weren’t able to sustain the level of intensity that we started the game with.”
The Lakers sit fourth in the Western Conference, with 11 games remaining in the regular season. Despite recent struggles, they have a comfortable eight-game cushion over the ninth-placed Sacramento Kings for a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, the Magic, occupying eighth in the Eastern Conference, have 10 games left as they aim to solidify their position for the postseason.
In Dallas, Anthony Davis returned to action for the Mavericks after a six-week absence due to an abductor injury.
Davis contributed 12 points in 26 minutes in a 120-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The victory marked Davis’s first home appearance for Dallas after his midseason trade from the Lakers in exchange for Luka Doncic.
The race to the playoffs is heating up, and the stakes have never been higher as teams battle fatigue and form in the closing weeks of the season.
