Lakers snap four-game skid in win over Magic.
ORLANDO — The Lakers snapped a four-game losing skid with a bounce-back win over the Magic, beating Orlando 129–110 to improve their season record to 14–20.
After allowing 51 points in the 3rd quarter of Sunday’s Christmas Day game to the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers bounced back with a great second-half effort in Tuesday’s win over the Magic, outscoring Orlando 64–55 in the second half.
The Lakers' second-half win was highlighted by solid shooting numbers, going 17-for-43 (39%) from behind the arc and above 50% overall on a 49-for-90 (54%).
“We executed the game plan. When we execute a gameplan for four quarters, we're going to give ourselves a good chance to win,” said LeBron.
LeBron finished with a game-high 28 points on 12-for-24 (50%) shooting from the floor, despite going 0-for-7 from three, notching 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal in 31 minutes.
LeBron was upgraded to available a few hours before Tuesday’s win over the Magic with left ankle soreness, with his status for Wednesday’s back-to-back up in the air.
“I’ll know tomorrow when I get up,” said LeBron on his availability for their matchup against the Heat.
Russell Westbrook notched his third triple-double off the bench on the season, tying Detlef Schrempf’s record for most triple-doubles off the bench in league history.
Westbrook finished with a triple-double of 15 points, 13 assists, and 13 rebounds, going 6-for-11 (54%) from the floor in 29 minutes.
“Everybody stepped up,” said Austin Reaves of the Lakers' overall play.
In 26 minutes off the bench, Reaves finished with 8 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and a steal with a +/- of +12.
Troy Brown Jr. caught fire in the second half, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the second half, going 3-for-4 from three and 6-for-7 overall from the field in 17 minutes.
The Lakers will play their third game of a five-game road trip this Wednesday in a back-to-back matchup against the 17–17 Miami Heat at 4:30 P.M. on Spectrum SportsNet and NBA TV.
