Everything felt heavy Tuesday night inside Crypto.com Arena. Not loud. Not electric. Just heavy.
The Lakers led the Magic for nearly 90 percent of the game. They built up multiple 12-point cushions. They shot over 48 percent from the field. Made more threes. Blocked more shots. On paper, it should have been a comfortable win.
Instead the paper will read 110-109 Magic. Another disappointing loss by the Lakers to a more physical team.
“I thought we played well enough to win tonight,” said Lakers head coach J.J. Redick. “We played hard enough to win.”
This wasn’t a loss to juggernauts like the Thunder or Spurs from the start of their homestand. This was an Orlando team hovering above .500 without Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner — two of their stars.
The Lakers were rested, they were at home. They were favored. This was supposed to be their bounce back game after an embarrassing loss to the Celtics with former legends putting them on blast.
Instead, it was another entry in the growing catalog of evidence that these Lakers are not contenders. They are pretenders wearing expensive clothes and jewelry.
“We need to be more consistent,” said Luka Doncic who finished with 22 points and 15 assists. “We should have won a couple more games [on this homestand].”
The Lakers had no answer for Paolo Banchero, who has struggled to regain his All-Star form this season. Nonetheless, he looked like an All-Star Tuesday night, bullying his way to 36 points like a man crashing a private party. He attacked a defense that continues to talk toughness but rarely delivers it.
Orlando outscored the Lakers 58-50 in the paint and out-rebounded them 47-39. They surrendered 12 offensive rebounds, including two on the game-winning putback by Wendell Carter Jr.
“With their size and their strength you know it’s going to be a rock fight,” said Redick. “We lose points in the paint by eight in a one-point game. That’s the difference. We had more turnovers than them, and they had more offensive rebounds than us.”
If you’ve watched the Lakers over their eight-game homestand that saw them fall to 16-12 at home on the season, then you’ll notice a familiar pattern: jump out to an early lead, get outhustled and collapse in the second half.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Doncic started hot, but fizzled. He shot 8-for-24. He went 2-for-10 from three. He missed five free throws. His poor shooting from beyond the arc must have been in his head when he picked up his dribble and didn’t shoot on the game’s final play. Instead he passed to James who had to force an off balance fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer.
I’ll let you answer how that went.
The Lakers should have never lost this game. Not with three different closers on the court in James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves.
Every time Doncic had the ball in his hand late in the game his possessions devolved into isolation theater, everyone standing around waiting for brilliance instead of manufacturing advantage. The ball stopped moving. The oxygen thinned.
James was efficient — 8 for 13 for 21 points, including a dunk for the final Lakers points of the evening — but his five turnovers came at critical moments. The Magic scored 14 points off the Lakers 12 turnovers, Los Angeles only scored four. That’s basketball malpractice.
They led most of the night and yet it still felt like they were barely hanging on.
In early December, the Lakers were the second seed in the West. Now they sit 34-23, clinging to sixth, two games clear of the play-in undertow. They just finished an eight-game homestand and won four of them. Four. At home. In a conference that punishes hesitation.
Contenders slam the door. Pretenders admire the hinges.
The Lakers admired too much.
Orlando dictated terms on the glass and in the paint. The Lakers reacted instead of imposing their will. They played as if the game would simply tilt their way because it usually does for talented teams.
It doesn’t work that way in late February.
The Western Conference doesn’t care about potential. It cares about execution under pressure. And right now, this group tightens when the moment demands clarity.
Thursday in Phoenix looms large against a Suns team missing key stars. Another “should win.” Another trap disguised as opportunity. Win, and they give themselves breathing room. Lose, and the standings squeeze even tighter.
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Inside Crypto.com Arena, you could feel the doubt settling like dust in the rafters. Fans didn’t explode in anger. They exhaled in recognition. They’ve seen this movie before — double-digit lead, stalled offense, defensive lapses, one-possession heartbreak.
If the Lakers want to be taken seriously in May, then nights like this suggest they’re not even ready for March.
Talent alone does not make you a contender. Toughness does. Discipline does. Killer instinct does.
On Tuesday night, the Orlando Magic had all three.
The Lakers had none.
And that’s why they walked off their own floor pretending to be something they are not.