All Lakers

Lakers News: Uncharacteristically Good Role Players Lead To L.A. Victory In Orlando

A vintage Russell Westbrook performance and surprisingly robust three-point shooting lead to a rare blowout W.

Alex Kirschenbaum

In this story:

Your Los Angeles Lakers looked surprisingly deep tonight in a 129-110 victory over the surging Orlando Magic! 

The Lakers, losers of four straight heading into the Amway Center tonight, took down the Magic, who entered the evening on a scorching hot run having won 8-of-9, thanks in large part to uncharacteristically strong three-point shooting and several of the team's more athletic players stepping up in the continued absence of Anthony Davis, especially in the rebounding department.

Russell Westbrook, who finished with his third triple-double as a Lakers reserve tonight, actively sought out teammates for dimes early on:

Westbrook and Patrick Beverley (!) keyed the Lakers to a hot start early. Eventually, the team ended the first quarter leading 33-27.

Thomas Bryant, a decent three-point shooter on a tiny volume of takes, continued to nail select triples:

Thomas Bryant was the Lakers' high scorer at the end of the first two halves. He had a solid game overall, making both his outside jumpers and rim finishes:

LeBron James had 12 points and four assists heading into halftime. The Lakers got off to a solid start in the game's first half thanks to surprisingly robust advantages in long range makes (L.A. hit 9-of-25 triples, Orlando nailed just 4-of-14) and rebounding (25-22). Overall, the Lakers connected on 53.3% of their field goals in the first two quarters, a marked uptick over the Magic's 44.7% shooting from the floor.

Los Angeles led 65-55 at the break. Two other Lakers starters, Patrick Beverley (11 points on 4-of-8 shooting) and Lonnie Walker IV (10 points on 3-of-7 shooting), were also already in double figures.

Here's your obligatory "LeBron James remains an ageless wonder" highlight clip that we basically need to talk about in every game. Midway through the third quarter, Austin Reaves stole the ball outright from Franz Wagner and sprinted down the floor, trailed by LeBron James, Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant, with only one Orlando defender, on a 4-on-1 break. Reaves then threw the ball up for LBJ to slam it down:

Here are some big overall takeaways from the night:

Rebounding

L.A. out-rebounded the taller, longer Magic squad by nine boards on the night, 46-37.

Three-Point Shooting

In a rarity for Los Angeles, the club both took and connected on way more triples than its opposition tonight. The Lakers shot 17-of-43 from deep, a far better margin than the Magic's 10-of-28 evening. Patrick Beverley looked like the Minnesota Timberwolves vintage of Patrick Beverley, going 4-of-10 from deep. Troy Brown Jr. (3-of-4 from deep), Lonnie Walker IV (2-of-7) and Austin Reaves (2-of-6) were the other players who poured in multiple triples. James, who had shot well from long range last season, has had worse luck this year, as evinced by his 0-of-7 night from three this evening.

Role Players Stepping Up

Although he's a $47.1 million role player, Russell Westbrook is certainly, technically a role player for Los Angeles. In that capacity, he has been a standout on the club in general, and showed his still-excellent abilities to play with pace, rebound and pass. Westbrook finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists.

Reserve swingman Troy Brown Jr. (15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, in just 17:26) and starting center Thomas Bryant (21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and, 10 rebounds, a steal and an assist) were the other big role players on the night. 

Six overall Lakers scored in double figures (every non-Dennis Schroder starter plus Westbrook and Reaves). 

Containing Paolo Banchero

The Lakers' game plan on defense was simple: get the ball away from the impending Rookie of the Year. To that end, Magic star power forward Paolo Banchero was held to just four points on 1-of-6 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 22:21.

Overall, this was a surprisingly strong win for a Lakers team that has struggled mightily without its best player. The team is now 2-4 since Anthony Davis went down.

James finished with 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting (though he missed all seven of his three-point attempts), grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists, swiped a steal and blocked a shot.

With his "mere" 28 points, LeBron's streak of consecutive 30+ point games ends at seven straight, tying for his second-longest such run ever (he once scored 30+ in ten straight contests).

Published
Alex Kirschenbaum
ALEX KIRSCHENBAUM

Basketball is Alex's favorite sport, he likes the way they dribble up and down the court.

Home/News