Fri Nov 22 2024

In the Western Conference, teams that don't close games they were in position to win will feel it in the end. That's certainly what happened to the Lakers on Thursday night. To be sure, the visiting Orlando Magic, even without its star (Paolo Banchero) and playing shorthanded beyond that (no Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, no Wendell Carter, Jr.) still represented a challenging opponent. To their credit, the Magic have played quite well of late, winning six of seven coming into the game. But the Lakers had a lead at the half, and leads down the stretch. They missed six fre throws in the fourth quarter. They didn't collapse, they didn't overlook their opponent. It wasn't anything egregious... but it was a game they should have won. And it also, in the process, it was a reminder that the six-game win streak the Lakers were sporting heading into Thursday's matchup didn't erase some of the shortcomings that reared their collective heads during, say, the unsuccessful first road trip o...