Lakers Survive Magic Scare Behind Austin Reaves Career High

The Orlando Magic gave the Los Angeles Lakers a challenge Sunday night, but it wasn't enough to pull out an upset win.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 19, 2023

Lakers Survive Magic Scare Behind Austin Reaves Career High /

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is taking a quiet red eye home after a 111-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night.

The Lakers held the lead for most of the evening, but the Magic was always within striking distance. Throughout the game, Orlando kept chipping away and tied the game at 101 with 2:39 to go after a Cole Anthony three.

From there, Austin Reaves took over for the Lakers, scoring six consecutive points for Los Angeles to seal the victory. Reaves scored the final 10 points for the Magic, which led to a career-high 35 off the bench for the second-year pro.

The Magic had chances to keep the game tied down the stretch, but ultimately the shots wouldn't fall for Orlando.

The loss culminates a 1-3 road trip for the Magic which keeps the team sliding in the Eastern Conference standings. Orlando now sits a full five games back from 10th place in the playoff picture. Meanwhile, the Lakers win catapults them back into the Western Conference conversation in a tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz for the ninth seed.

The Magic is back at home Tuesday when the Washington Wizards come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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Published Mar 19, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.