LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13 (US): LeBron James scored 14 out of 30 points during the impressive third quarter of Los Angeles, adding 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Lakers edged past the Orlando Magic 106-94 Sunday night in their fifth. Winning seven matches.
Tallinn Horton Tucker scored seven of the 19 points to completely dominate Los Angeles in a close match from the break, scoring 23 consecutive points while maintaining the Magic’s 2-for-23 shot in the third quarter with their field goal scoring nearly 10 minutes away. .
Los Angeles gained a 36-10 advantage in third with its second straight win and moved two games over 0.500 for the first time in four weeks, the AP reports.
Russell Westbrook scored 19 points and James made his 101st career with a hat-trick in the last minutes, making the Lakers their second in a row after top scorer Anthony Davies missed out on second-placed due to a sore left knee. Coach Frank Vogel said scans of Davis’ knee found it to be structurally sound, and the team expects to be back in action soon.
Cole Anthony scored 21 points for the Magic, who took a 0-5 lead on their West Coast trip despite crowding in the fourth quarter.
Franz Wagner added 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but the Magic responded to Saturday night’s last-second loss to the Clippers with a strong first half and a disastrous third quarter in their 12th defeat in 13 games. Orlando dropped to 5-23 despite scoring 13 three-pointers.
Los Angeles’ 23 consecutive points formed their longest run of the season, and the Lakers turned a small first-half deficit into a 25-point lead while holding Orlando without a field goal for 9:48. James scored 13 points in the first four minutes after the break, tearing up the Orlando defense with three throws and a dunk both while also pleasing the crowd at the edge.
Neither team advanced significantly in the first half which James highlighted with an amazing chase for RJ Hampton’s effort to throw the ball in the second quarter. The Magic hit nine three-pointers during the first half in another significant move for one of the NBA’s worst and lowest-scoring teams.
Hint
Magic: Rookie goalkeeper Jalen Suggs missed his sixth game in a row with a broken right thumb. … Gary Harris was limited to six points in 33 minutes with just five shots.
Lakers: Dwight Howard made his third start of the season against the team that drafted him in 2004 and hired him for eight years before becoming a tramp in the NBA. Al-Wasat, who turned 36 last Wednesday, scored five points and four rebounds. …Carmelo Anthony scored 13 points and hit 3 throws.
next one
Magic: Host the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night.
Lakers: At the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.