Let’s do that once more.
The disappointing loss within the high-profile matchup against the Celtics bolstered what we’ve seen all season: the Lakers are usually not on the extent of the top-tier groups. Maybe, even probably, that’s merely not occurring this season. Over 56 video games, they’ve had loads of alternatives to show everybody fallacious, however they only haven’t.
But the video games nonetheless should be performed. And tonight, the Lakers face a group a lot nearer to their lane, the 30–26 Orlando Magic. If we go by level differential, the dreaded metric we’ve used all season to clarify why the Lakers are farther from one of the best than their report suggests, these two groups are literally shoulder to shoulder within the rankings, at seventeenth and sixteenth.
All these phrases simply to say this: the Magic must be a superb alternative to cleanse a number of the bitter style from the final defeat. Not an elite group, however a reliable one which all the time performs onerous and is attempting to keep away from the play-in spots within the East.
Now the Lakers would possibly catch a little bit of a break, because the Magic could possibly be with out two of their three finest gamers. Franz Wagner is out with an ankle harm, whereas Jalen Suggs, who missed the final two video games because of again spasms, is now listed as questionable with a back strain on the most recent harm report. Suggs is their most impactful defender and leads the group in assists, so his potential absence can be vital.
Rest: LAL on 1 day of relaxation; ORL on 1 day of relaxation
Ranking: LAL seventeenth in Point Diff (-0.5), ORL sixteenth in Point Diff (-0.2)
LAL vs ORL 2024-25 report: 0-2
LAL accidents: Jaxson Hayes (uncertain)
ORL accidents: Franz Wagner (OUT), Jalen Suggs (questionable)
LAL projected beginning 5: Luka Dončić (G), Marcus Smart (G), Austin Reaves (G), LeBron James (F), Deandre Ayton (C)
LAL key reserves: Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, Luke Kennard
ORL projected beginning 5: Anthony Black (G), Desmond Bane (G), Tristan Da Silva (F), Paolo Banchero (F), Wendell Carter Jr. (C)
ORL key reserves: Jonathan Isaac, Jett Howard, Moritz Wagner, Jevon Carter, Jase Richardson
ORL rotation:
