Magic, Desmond Bane carry hot streak into meeting with Lakers
The Orlando Magic will put their February revival to another road test on Tuesday when they finish a four-game trip against Western Conference teams with a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Magic are 5-2 since Feb. 5 and 7-4 going back to Jan. 28 following a 111-109 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Desmond Bane continues to lead the charge, scoring 36 points against the Clippers and logging at least 22 points in nine of his past 11 games.
Paolo Banchero scored 16 points and dished out eight assists for Orlando on Sunday while Wendell Carter Jr. totaled 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Magic trailed by four points with four minutes remaining, but Bane scored six points down the stretch and 11 in the fourth quarter.
"I just think it's chemistry," Bane said of the Magic's recent success. "I was a new piece being added to the team and we got Anthony Black in a different type of role this year, so I think everything just kind of takes time. But I feel like I'm in a good spot, trusting my work and just playing hard."
Bane is scoring 20.1 points per game in his first season in Orlando after he averaged 19.2 points in his fifth and final season for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2024-25.
The Magic are poised for even more progression after Moritz Wagner played on back-to-back days Sunday, the first time he has done that since making his season debut Jan. 11. Wagner missed more than a year of action because of an ACL tear.
The Lakers will be in search of improved offense after absorbing a 111-89 home loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. It was the Lakers' second-lowest scoring game of the season behind an 88-point effort against the Clippers on Dec. 20.
Los Angeles fell to 8-4 this campaign with their star trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves all on the floor at the same time. The group combined for 60 of the Lakers' points and were the only three on the team in double figures in scoring.
Los Angeles was held to 39.1% shooting from the floor, also its second worst in a game this season. The Lakers were hitting an NBA-best 50% from the floor entering the game.
"We did enough defensively, we were just awful offensively tonight," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "... There were opportunities, I think, to put more pressure on the rim, particularly in the first half.
"And then (we) got some good looks from 3. We didn't knock them down. So just, you gotta make shots in this league."
The only real fight the Lakers showed was in the form of technical fouls assessed to Redick, Reaves and former Celtics guard Marcus Smart.
"They made timely shots when we didn't," James said. "We didn't give ourselves a good chance on the offensive end. Defensively, we held firm for as long as we could, but offensively we didn't give ourselves a good chance."
The Magic are on a three-game winning streak against the Lakers, going back to November 2023, including a 119-118 victory at L.A. last season.