After ripping off four straight wins behind a newly-stout defense, the Lakers’ streak ended with an Orlando Magic parade to the basket.
The Lakers played well enough offensively, but couldn’t match that effort on the other side, trailing by as many as 21 points in a 130-117 loss.
“After the first quarter, we were bad defensively,” said LeBron James, who led L.A. with 22 points and seven assists in 26 minutes. “A lot of breakdowns — uncharacteristic of us of late.”
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 18, 2018
Indeed, the Lakers (8-7) got off to a nice start, leading by six after the opening quarter.