Lugging a four-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Lakers headed to central Florida to take on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
The Magic had a dismal 13-21 record coming into the game, but it was misleading. They had won eight of their last nine contests. It looked like there was a real chance L.A. would lose its fifth in a row.
Instead, LeBron James and company started building a lead in the first quarter that they never relinquish. The advantage grew to six at the end of the first period and 10 at halftime, and unlike what has happened so often this season, they maintained that lead in the third quarter.
The Lakers even increased that lead in the final minutes of the game, resulting in a 129-110 victory.
They needed this win in the worst way, just as they needed a night of good 3-point shooting. Los Angeles took 43 shots from beyond the arc, which was a lot for it, but the team converted 17 of them for a very strong 39.5% accuracy.
LeBron James: A-
James’ streak of consecutive 30-point games ended at seven. He scored only 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting. He also added seven rebounds and five assists.
His 3-point shooting is one thing to be concerned about. He was 0-of-7 from downtown on Tuesday, and he came into the contest shooting just 30.6% from that distance, which is his lowest mark in that department since his rookie year.
James played 31 minutes, which is helpful, considering he was averaging 36 minutes a game coming into Tuesday. The Lakers head south to take on the Miami Heat on Wednesday, so playing somewhat fewer minutes will help him stay fresh for this back-to-back set of games.
Thomas Bryant: A
Bryant bounced back after a quiet game in limited minutes on Sunday. He made 8-of-10 shots, including a 3-pointer, to finish with 21 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes.
The Lakers did a good job of getting Bryant easy baskets, especially off pick-and-roll sets. Now that he’s becoming a good 3-point shooter again, he’s becoming a nice weapon in such sets, as he can either roll to the basket or flare out to the 3-point line depending on the type of defensive coverage that is shown.
Patrick Beverley: A
After a terrible start to the season, Beverley may be rising from the ashes. He went 5-of-11 on Tuesday and 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, giving him 14 points, along with two rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in 30 minutes.
Dennis Schroder: C
Schroder was very quiet versus Orlando, taking three shots in 28 minutes and making two of them, including one trey. Overall, he had seven points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Lonnie Walker IV: D
Walker has cooled off a bit in the last couple of weeks. He was 3-of-10 and 2-of-7 from 3-point range on Tuesday, scoring just 10 points in 25 minutes. The Lakers will need him to return to form if they are to win games with any type of regularity without Anthony Davis.
Wenyen Gabriel: B
Gabriel had five points on 2-of-5 shooting and six rebounds in 15 minutes against the Magic. He even hit a 3-pointer, which is something he doesn’t often do or even attempt to do.
Troy Brown Jr.: A
Brown had been playing very poorly for the past few weeks, but he broke out on Tuesday. He made 6-of-7 shots and 3-of-4 from downtown to score 15 points in just 17 minutes.
If Brown can simply maintain some average 3-point shooting at around a 35-36 percent clip, his value to the team will increase considerably.
Russell Westbrook: A
Just as he did last season, Westbrook has struggled with his shooting efficiency. But on Tuesday, he went 6-of-11 from the field and scored 15 points. As has been the case since he was moved to the bench, he has been looking for his teammates, and that mode of operation got him 13 assists.
Westbrook also gobbled up 13 rebounds, giving him a triple-double, which is his third this season. All three have come in the month of December.
Austin Reaves: B
Reaves will not score in double digits every game, but his value to the Lakers is clear. He has emerged as a multi-faceted role player, and the biggest key is that he has become a very good 3-point shooter, which has allowed him to get past defenders and drive to the basket.
On Tuesday, he scored eight points, dished off five assists, grabbed three rebounds and had a steal that led to an alley-oop dunk by James on the fast break. He absorbs contact, to the point of getting hit in the face quite often, but he has shown a willingness to do some of the more unglamorous things that lead to victory.
Kendrick Nunn: A
Nunn got just two minutes at the end of the game in garbage time, but he hit both of his shot attempts, which were both 3-pointers off the dribble.
Max Christie: Incomplete
The rookie came in during garbage time for five minutes and made no contributions on the stat sheet.
