The Los Angeles Lakers haven't been very inspiring in terms of being legitimate title contenders this season, as their defense has been so bad for so long that it's hard to believe they can field a defense that's good enough to compete, especially in the loaded West. But they have been excellent in clutch games and they have been good at maintaining leads, which is why they remain in the top six in the West standings despite concerns about the underlying numbers.
However, on Tuesday night, the Lakers failed at the things they should have been good at. They were ahead after three quarters in their contest against the Orlando Magic (80–79 after three), and they were in the midst of a clutch game against a Mideastern Conference team. They somehow lost, as a combination of late-game hesitation and late-game defensive issues doomed the Lakers.
According to X user @dmai21, the Purple and Gold have now lost their first game this season after the Magic broke the Lakers' hearts 110-109 courtesy of Wendell Carter Jr.'s game-winner after leading after three quarters. They won their first 25 such games this season, but now, the Magic have dealt them a devastating blow.
Lakers' defensive issues come to the fore in tough times
Luka Doncic suffered a tough shooting night, but began to bounce back toward the end of the game. It looked like he was going to take over the game, but instead, he hesitated to take the last shot, which put LeBron James in such a difficult situation with the clock running out - leading to the Lakers' loss.
But it is LA's defense that is to blame for their latest defeat. They allowed the Magic to score 58 points in the paint, with Paolo Banchero repeatedly driving to the basket. The game-winner he allowed came due to his inability to control the defensive boards.
The Lakers are going to have to do some soul-searching if they want to figure it out this season.
