NBA 2018-19: 3 Key takeaways from Lakers loss at home to Magic
The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the hottest teams in the NBA going into their home match against the Orlando Magic. The Lakers had won nine out of their last 11 matches before this match and were the heavy favorites to win this one.
But after getting off to a rampant start, the Los Angeles Lakers could not maintain their momentum and the match gradually started shifting away from them.
Kyle Kuzma was pretty hot in the first quarter going for 13 points in the quarter alone. Lonzo Ball looked aggressive both on the boards and driving in the lane. Ball had the team high in rebounds for the second consecutive game.
Brandon Ingram was guilty of giving away the ball too much. The Magic had strong performances from Vucevic, Gordon and Ross. Ross was impressive in their second-quarter comeback, hitting shots from beyond the arc. Here are the top three takeaways from the match.
#3 Lakers' turnovers struggle
After finishing with 23 turnovers in the Friday night match against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers looked set to even eclipse that in this match. In the end, they finished with overall 18 turnovers, 14 of them in the first half whereas the Magic finished with only 13 turnovers in the match.
Till the second quarter, the Lakers were shooting 62% from the field and the Magic were shooting only 41% but because of these reckless turnovers, the match was almost tied.
The Lakers never managed to get any advantage and the Magic stuck to them, even taking the lead for sometime late in the second quarter. Brandon Ingram and LeBron James finished with 5 and 6 turnovers respectively.
The Lakers need to start valuing their possessions. They are without their point guard Rajon Rondo but the other playmakers need to step up.