Lakers vs Magic Preview: Has the Tank Derailed?
The Lakers just knocked off the Warriors, but what can fans expect on Tuesday against the Magic?
The Los Angeles Lakers are likely still on Cloud 9 after Sunday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors in which the Lakers took down the defending NBA Champions in emphatic fashion with a 17-point victory at STAPLES Center. Now they’re left moving forward from that game, starting with a matchup on Tuesday night against the Orlando Magic again at home in LA.
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
Though no one could have predicted that a Lakers team with the second-worst record in the NBA would be able to knock off a team likely to set the mark for the best regular season record of all-time, the signs of improvement have been evident for the Lakers as of late. Since D’Angelo Russell‘s re-insertion into the starting lineup, both the rookie and his backcourt mate in Jordan Clarkson have been performing phenomenally and the Lakers overall play has taken major strides forward as well.
In striding forward, though, the tank has seemingly gotten off track quite a bit. It’s been the delicate path that the Lakers have been weaving through all season. You want to see this type of play from the young players as they continue to develop and form the young core of this team for the future, but they’re also focused on staying in near the bottom of the standings to give the franchise a better chance of retaining their top-3 protected first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Which brings us to Tuesday night against the Magic where there are so many questions about the Lakers. Will the team get back into the tank and steer it back on course with a letdown game? Or will they continue to thrive against another young, inconsistent team in Orlando. Moreover, you have to wonder what Russell and Clarkson will be able to do against a talented defensive backcourt in Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo and if newfound cult-hero Marcelo Huertas has another performance like the one he submitted against the Warriors left in the tank.
Though there are reasons for optimism after the Warriors game in terms of the future and the ceiling of this current Lakers team, fans can’t forget that they are incredibly young and still learning and growing on the fly. With that in mind, it’d be a safe assumption to say that, at the very least, Tuesday night’s effort may not be on par with the one they put up on Sunday against Golden State. What that means for the result remains to be seen, though.
Orlando Magic at Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Tuesday, March 8
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: STAPLES Center
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: Here
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Magic -3
Moneyline: Magic -155, Lakers +135
O/U: 212.5
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Brown (foot)—Out, Kobe Bryant (shoulder)—Questionable, Jordan Clarkson (knee)—Probable, Larry Nance Jr. (knee)—Probable, Lou Williams (hamstring)—Out
Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic (groin)—Questionable
Next: Russell: Lakers Shocked Themselves In Beating Warriors
Prediction
The Lakers are certainly riding high after the win over Golden State on Sunday, but this has the makings of a game where a young team has a bit of a letdown coming off such a big game. Don’t expect a total collapse for the Lakers, but I have LA ultimately falling to the Magic on Tuesday night.