Lakers end losing skid, outlast Magic
FILE — Dennis Schroder #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates his three point shot in the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 10, 2021 in the Brooklyn. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP
Dennis Schroder had 21 points and 10 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 114-103 victory over the host Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Anthony Davis and Montrezl Harrell each had 18 points for the Lakers (36-25), who snapped a three-game losing streak and dealt the Magic (18-43) their fifth consecutive defeat.
Leading 95-91 with 6:47 left, Schroder scored nine consecutive points and the Lakers, who hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference, outscored the Magic 12-5 over the next four-plus minutes to pull away.
13 points in the fourth quarter alone. That's Tuff 🔥💯 pic.twitter.com/O6UAiembtu
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 27, 2021
Chuma Okeke had 18 points and five rebounds to lead the Magic, while Gary Harris had 17 points.
Davis had his best performance since returning from a 30-game absence due to right calf and heel issues, shooting 8 of 15 from the field (1-for-4 from 3-point range) and finishing with eight rebounds and three assists. Davis played 31 minutes and 22 seconds in his third game since coming back.
The Lakers shot 54 percent from the field and made 11 of 31 triples while outscoring the Magic 56-40 in the paint.
Andre Drummond helped on that front with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Harrell shot 7-for-10 off the bench and had five rebounds and three steals.
The Lakers led by 16 points with 10:35 left in the second quarter before the Magic began attacking inside. Orlando outscored Los Angeles 38-16 for the rest of the half.
But the Lakers re-established themselves in the third quarter behind their frontcourt, which helped outrebound the Magic 53-36.
Kyle Kuzma totaled 14 points and seven rebounds and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 10 points, returning after missing the Lakers’ game Saturday against Dallas with a sprained ankle.
Cole Anthony finished with 15 points and seven assists for Orlando, which shot 47.4 percent and shot 11-for-25 from 3-point range. Wendell Carter Jr. totaled 10 points and eight rebounds and Dwayne Bacon finished with 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
