ORLANDO, Fla. — For the first time in a couple of weeks, the Lakers didn’t have it on 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 simply just an off night, the Lakers didn’t sustain the energy and hot shooting they had early against the Magic.
It didn’t look like it was going to be their night, but then Luke Kennard saved the day, nailing a game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Lakers to a 105-104 victory over the Magic at Kia Center.
After Luka Doncic led the Lakers to a 37-point first quarter, with Doncic scoring 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 multiple key misses from Doncic and Austin Reaves late.
But Kennard, who had been in a shooting slump entering the weekend, hit the game’s biggest shot, making a 24-footer on a baseline out-of-bounds play with less than a second left in regulation.
Jalen Suggs’ 69-footer before the buzzer fell short.
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 it means
The Lakers won their ninth consecutive game, their best winning streak of the season, moving to 46-25.
Turning point
Strangely enough, it was after a positive play for 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 of the momentum.
That wasn’t the case at all.
The Magic responded with a 22-2 run and led by two points with little time left until Kennard’s game-saving shot.
MVP: Luke Kennard
The reserve guard not only made the biggest 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.
Stat of the game: 10
That was the number of free throws the Lakers missed against the Magic, going 19 of 29.
Saturday continued a pattern of the Lakers struggling from the charity stripe every other game.
They shot 17 of 26 (65.4%) on free throws in the March 14 home win over the Nuggets. Two games later, the Lakers made 17 of their 27 free-throw attempts (63%) in Wednesday’s win over the Rockets.
Up next
The Lakers will continue their six-game trip with a matchup against the Pistons on Monday.
The Pistons lead the East at 51-19 but will be without All-Star guard Cade Cunningham, who is sidelined because of a collapsed lung.