The long road trip has been unkind to the Lakers, especially in crunch time. Can they find a way to get a win tonight in Orlando?
The script has officially flipped in Los Angeles. Once a resilient team that would rally back from 20-point deficits, the Lakers are on the opposite end of that scenario. Their latest underwhelming performance came in the fourth quarter of last night’s game in Miami.
The Lakers held Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat to just 17 points in the first quarter, but were unable to keep the momentum going throughout the game. Sound familiar? It should.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about all of this is the fact the west is wide open right now. The teams that the Lakers needed to lose are losing, but that doesn’t help much when they’re losing too. No, they weren’t supposed to make the playoffs this season, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t.
When they’re on it, the Purple and Gold can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the league. Let’s hope they’re on it tonight against an underperforming Orlando squad.
Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic
Date: Friday, Dec. 23
Start Time: 4:00 p.m. PST
Location: Orlando, FL
Arena: Amway Center
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: Here
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Tarik Black – Ankle (Out), Julius Randle – Personal (Out), Jose Calderon – Calf (Out), Larry Nance Jr. – Knee (Out)
Orlando Magic: Evan Fournier – Heel (Out)
Prediction
Even a broken clock is right two times a day, right? Despite giving me no reason to believe they want to win basketball games, I have the Lakers winning tonight. Why? Because they should win.
Orlando gambled big and lost. They traded two really young and talented players in Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris for a handful of guys that haven’t worked out so far. Orlando doesn’t deserve to win.
The Lakers, however, have done quite the opposite. So far, they’re staying the course and hoping these growing pains pay off sooner than later. One thing that will make getting a win in Orlando tonight difficult is going to be the Magic’s frontcourt.
Aaron Gordon, Bismack Biyombo, Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic are all starting-caliber big men on a sorry team. The Lakers will be without two of their rotation big men and their starting power forward. In order to get a win tonight, they’re going to need everyone to be on their game. That includes Timofey Mozgov, who forgot how to finish at the rim.
The absence of Evan Fournier should be a plus for the Lakers, considering the Magic don’t have a ton of scoring outside of the streaky French guard.
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