ORLANDO, Fla. — Lakers coach JJ Redick recognized that his team developed “bad habits defensively” over the last couple of weeks while they worked to get healthier.
And with those habits showing themselves in the Lakers’ blowout home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, Redick made it clear what he wanted to see from his team as they kicked off a four-game road trip against the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Be more physical. Offer more resistance on opponents’ drives. And if they get to the rim, provide even more resistance.
The Lakers’ early efforts made it evident that the message was received, but they didn’t sustain the physicality and defensive play necessary against a big, physical Orlando squad, falling to the Magic, 118-106, in the opener of a four-game road trip.
The Lakers (43-28) have lost three straight games by a combined 72 points, and they’ve lost seven of their past 10 games dating to March 8.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 32 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
But the 26-year-old Slovenian star was regularly targeted defensively by the Magic (34-38), whether it was in screening actions or drives to the rim from Franz Wagner (32 points, eight assists, four rebounds) or Paolo Banchero (30 points, seven rebounds).
LeBron James, playing in his second game since returning from a groin injury that sidelined him for two weeks, finished with 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Austin Reaves added 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
But the Lakers didn’t overcome their defensive deficiencies, with the Magic taking advantage of the Lakers in transition (20 fast-break points) and their strategy to give space to players who are viewed as non-shooting threats backfired.
The Magic, who entered Monday as the league’s worst 3-point shooting team (31.1%), shot 15 for 40 (37.5%) from behind the arc and outscored the Lakers 34-18 in the third quarter.
Once it became clear the Lakers weren’t going to be able to shoot their way back into the game, their collective fatigue after playing eight games in 12 days, became apparent.
More to come on this story.