The Los Angeles Lakers are a team of two superstars: LeBron James and Luka Doncic, an unexpected pairing that came about in the dead of night on a fateful date in February. But lately, it has been Doncic carrying the load, endearing himself to the Lakers‘ legions of fans while James has recovered from a groin injury.
After missing six games due to his injury, James returned to the lineup on Saturday as the Lakers hosted the Chicago Bulls, expecting to defeat a team scratching and clawing for a place in the NBA‘s Play-In Tournament. It didn’t pan out that way, and there are fresh concerns as to the duo’s chemistry and what it means for Los Angeles in the long run.
LeBron admits to “rust” amid blowout loss
The Bulls stormed Crypto.com Arena and left as 146-115 winners, a result that puts the Lakers’ push for the Western Conference‘s second seed in some jeopardy. But James didn’t seem overly concerned when he spoke to reporters after the game, in which the 40-year-old scored 17 points in 31 minutes.
“A little rusty, a little rusty, but I was happy to get back out there,” James said.
James did not confirm whether he was completely healed from the injury, which threatens to linger as Los Angeles (43-27) has 12 games remaining in the regular season. The Lakers are 2.5 games behind the Houston Rockets, and James explained that he — and his teammates — will take matters day by day, in hopes of a better result against the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
“I just take day by day. I can’t worry about what’s gonna happen in the future,” he said. “But I got through today. I’m obviously gonna get some work on it tomorrow. Hopefully, a little bit on the plane. It’s a long flight to Orlando. And then, once we get to Orlando and get ready for Monday. So I hope it’s behind, but I don’t wanna look too far in the future.”
Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Monday, March 24: Odds, How to Watch, Tip Time
ORLANDO, Fla. –– The Los Angeles Lakers make their lone visit to Central Florida in the regular season on Monday evening, visiting the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m. ET in the Kia Center.
Orlando is 33-38, eighth in the East heading into the contest. They defeated the Washington Wizards 120-105 Friday night in the nation’s capital.
Los Angeles is 43-27, fourth in the West before again meeting the Magic. They lost to the Chicago Bulls by 31 points on Saturday evening inside Crypto.com Arena.
The Magic took the first meeting between the two teams this year, but much has changed since then. Orlando played without Paolo Banchero in that November clash, but the Lakers made a seismic Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis swap at the trade deadline – altering the outlook of this season and future ones significantly.
How to Watch Magic vs. Lakers
Who: Orlando Magic (33-38, 8th in East) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (43-27, 4th in West)
What: NBA Regular Season Game
When: Monday, March 24, 7 p.m ET
Where: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, Spectrum Sportsnet LA, NBATV, NBA League Pass
Radio: 96.9 The Game (Orlando), Orlando Magic Audio Network, SiriusXM
Latest Spread: Los Angeles -3.5
Over/Under: 215.5
Moneyline: Los Angeles -170
Last Meeting: Orlando 119, Los Angeles 118 on Nov. 21, 2024
Game Notes
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played four seasons with the Lakers (2017-21) and won the first of his two NBA titles with the organization.
- Moe Wagner was drafted by the Lakers with the No. 25 overall pick and played 43 games with the franchise in his rookie season.
- Assistant coach Jesse Mermuys was an assistant for three seasons with the Lakers from 2016-19.
- Lakers head coach JJ Redick was drafted by the Magic with the 11th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft and spent parts of seven seasons with the team.
Orlando Magic
- Paolo Banchero: 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists
- Franz Wagner: 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists
- Cole Anthony (questionable): 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists
- Anthony Black: 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists
- Wendell Carter Jr.: 9.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Los Angeles Lakers
- Luka Doncic: 26.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.9 assists
- LeBron James (probable): 24.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists
- Austin Reaves: 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists
- Rui Hachimura (questionable): 13.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Meet the Coaches
Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic: Mosley tipped off his fourth NBA season as a head coach this season, all of which having come with the Magic. He’s 136-181 in the regular season all-time, and 3-4 in the playoffs. Before Mosley was named the head coach of the Magic, he was an assistant with Dallas, Cleveland, and Denver. He’s a Colorado alum, and played four years of professional basketball in Mexico, Australia, Finland and South Korea.
JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers: It was this Magic team that first brought Redick into the NBA world nearly 20 years ago, the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Magic. After a 15-year career as a player and a brief stint as one of the most popular broadcasters and podcasters in the NBA’s media sphere, Redick’s first-ever coaching position is a big one – being the head coach in one of the world’s biggest markets of one of the world’s most popular and valuable franchises. Redick’s playing career spanned six teams over those 15 years after being one of the greatest players in Duke history. Now, he’s following his new calling – so far, it’s off to a good start.
Leave a Reply