Official Site of the Lakers · Feb 1, 2018
Defense, 3-Pointers Down Lakers in Orlando
Julius Randle holds the ball against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 31, 2018.Luke Walton was far from pleased with his team’s defensive performance, calling it “as bad as it’s been all season.”
Indeed, the Lakers allowed the NBA’s last-place team to play like All-Stars, falling in Orlando, 127-105.
“We weren’t committed to guarding anyone tonight,” Walton said.
Normally a strong defensive team (ranked 11th in the league), the Lakers showed little of their trademark effort against an Orlando squad missing two of its best scorers: Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic.
The Lakers (19-31) trailed by seven at the half, but were victims to an offensive avalanche in the following period.