Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle both lead the Lakers in scoring with 20 points. Randle added 9 rebounds as a starter and Clarkson added 5 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench, but the Lakers couldn't stop the Magic barrage in Orlando, losing 105-127. Brandon Ingram added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists and KCP added 12 points to round out the starters while Kyle Kuzma chipped in 11 points to go along with the 2nd unit.
Final Score: @ Orlando 105-127 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180131/LALORL#/recap
Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*
"HOW!?" That was my initial question when I saw the final score of this game. This game had all the makings of a bounce back win after a tough loss to the Raptors in Toronto. The Magic were no better record-wise than the Lakers and they have a really thin front court with Vucevic and Gordon out for them. And somehow, the Magic just hammered the Lakers. For the most part, the only positive was that the Lakers were able to exploit that, which is why Randle had a field day in the paint based on the highlights. The first half was pretty competitive and then the game went sour by the 3rd quarter. There's one category the Magic destroyed the Lakers on: 3-pointers. They had a field day, shooting 18-32 from beyond the arc. Jonathan Simmons, Mo Speights, Evan Fournier, and Mario Hezonja (of all people) were on target for the most part of the game. It's like a matter where was the defense? Where was the ball pressure? It definitely wasn't on display this game. It definitely didn't help that the Lakers shot 20% from three point land, which is not their game. The Lakers just didn't have that energy as Luke Walton puts it. Not sure if the Magic was just on target or if it was an overall lackadaisical effort on the defensive end. Certainly, the Lakers are much better than the team that just surrendered 127 points to the Magic, a team that can't get over the hump of mediocrity. No question, that this loss wreaked of disappointment.
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