The battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic at Crypto.com Arena has a tendency to go straight down to the wire, and their contest on Tuesday night was no different. However, the Magic prevailed in the end – Wendell Carter Jr.'s putback layup proved to be the difference in a 110–109 defeat.
It looked like the Lakers had the momentum in the fourth, but their defense failed to stop them when they needed to. They took a 109–108 lead after a lazy defensive possession by the Magic that gave LeBron James room for the go-ahead wide-open dunk, but they could not complete the defensive stop as Orlando regained possession after a midrange miss from Paolo Banchero, leading to Carter's game-winner.
The Lakers still had a chance to win, but Luka Doncic missed open three-point attempts twice to win the game, causing James to take a difficult turnaround shot for the game-winning attempt, which he missed.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick summed up The Lakers fell to 34–23 on the season.
“We're a work in progress,” Redick said in his postgame presser via @ohnohedidnt24 on X (formerly Twitter).
JJ Redick: "We're a work in progress" pic.twitter.com/Vjd9KZoIIq
- Oh no, he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) 25 February 2026
The Lakers' defense needs a lot of work
The Lakers' defense was very good in the final few months of the 2024-25 season, but it hasn't quite clicked in this current campaign. DeAndre Ayton suffers from letdowns, Doncic and Austin Reaves have their shortcomings on that end of the field, James is aging, and the team doesn't yet have the personnel to build a strong defensive infrastructure.
They currently rank 24th in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 116.6 points per 100 possessions. It may take the Lakers another year or two before they can maximize the roster around Doncic.
