ORLANDO, Fla. – For the first time in weeks, the Lakers didn’t score Saturday night.
Whether it was the fatigue of playing their third game in four nights, the wear and tear of playing against a young and physical Magic team, or just an off night, the Lakers didn’t hold the energy and hot shooting they had early against the Magic.
It didn’t look like it was going to be their night, but Luke Kennard saved the day, nailing the game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Lakers to a 105-104 victory over the Magic at the Kia Center.
After Luka Doncic led the Lakers in the first quarter with 37 points, and Doncic scored 16 points in the opening period, Doncic and the team went cold.
The Lakers shot 23 of 64 (35.9%) from the field in the final three quarters, including several key misses from Doncic and Austin Reaves late.
But Kennard, who had been dominant over the weekend, scored the biggest goal of the game, making a 24-footer from out of bounds with less than a second left in regulation.
Jalen Suggs’ 69-footer before the buzzer went down.
Kennard finished with 13 points off the bench.
Doncic had 33 points (12 of 30 shooting), eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. Reaves added 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. LeBron James added 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
What does it mean
The Lakers won their ninth straight game, their best win of the season, to go 46-25.
A place to change
Surprisingly, it was after a great performance by the Lakers.
When Reaves threw down a one-handed dunk in transition to put the Lakers up 37-23 late in the first, it seemed like the Lakers had all the momentum.
It wasn’t like that at all.
The Magic responded with a 22-2 run and took a two-point lead with little time left until Kennard made the save.
MVP: Luke Kennard
The reserve guard not only made the big shot of the game but also went 5 of 7 from the field, and 3 of 4 on 3s, to keep the Lakers in the game.
Game condition: 10
That was the number of free throws the Lakers missed against the Magic, going 19 of 29.
Saturday continued the pattern of the Lakers struggling in the charity stripe every other game.
They shot 17-of-26 (65.4%) on free throws in a March 14 home win over the Nuggets. After two games, the Lakers made 17 of their 27 free throw attempts (63%) in Wednesday’s win over the Rockets.
Next
The Lakers will continue their six-game road trip with a tie against the Pistons on Monday.
The Pistons lead Mpumalanga 51-19 but will be without All-Star guard Cade Cunningham, who has been sidelined due to a collapsed lung.
