Paolo Banchero had 36 points and 10 rebounds, and Desmond Bane added 22 as the Orlando Magic capped a strong Western Conference trip with a 110-109 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 20 points and Tristan da Silva added 13 as the Magic finished 3-1 on the trip. They beat Sacramento and swept both Los Angeles teams, the Clippers and the Lakers. Their only loss came at Phoenix in the second game of the swing.
Orlando shot 45.7% overall but caught fire in the fourth quarter, hitting 59.1% and scoring 31 points to close it out. The win was the Magic’s fourth straight over the Lakers dating to November 2023.
Luka Doncic had 22 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds, while LeBron James and Deandre Ayton each scored 21 for Los Angeles, which went 4-4 on an extended homestand that spanned the All-Star break.
James had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but his fallaway 3-point attempt was off target.
Austin Reaves added 18 points for the Lakers, who shot 48.2%.
Los Angeles stretched its lead to 65-53 in the third quarter before a 12-4 run to end the period pulled Orlando within 80-79 entering the fourth.
The Lakers took a 106-103 lead on Rui Hachimura’s 3-pointer with 2:14 remaining.
After officials overturned a foul call on Carter against Doncic, the Lakers won the ensuing jump ball with 1:05 left. James split a pair of free throws with 44.7 seconds remaining to make it 107-105.
Bane hit an open 3-pointer with 35.4 seconds left to give Orlando a 108-107 lead. James answered with a dunk off a Doncic assist to put the Lakers ahead 109-108 with 26.3 seconds remaining, but Carter’s layup with 6.7 seconds left proved decisive after James missed at the buzzer.
The Lakers shot 52.6% in the first half and took a 56-53 lead into the break. Ayton scored 17 of his 21 points before halftime and finished with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Carter had 15 first-half points as the Magic shot 42% before the break.
