Los Angeles Lakers (46-25) beat Orlando Magic (38-32) 105-104 on the road on Saturday, March 21. The Magic led after three quarters, but the Lakers took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 37-30 and a 7-point lead after one. The Magic moved in front with a 35-25 second quarter, carrying a 3-point lead into halftime.
The Magic won the third 22-20 to create some separation, taking a 5-point lead into the fourth. The Lakers took the fourth 23-17; the Lakers completed the comeback for a 105-104 regulation win.
What decided it
The Lakers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.3% of possessions compared with 16.5% for the Magic. The Lakers grabbed 31.8% of their own misses, while the Magic recovered 29.3%. In a 1-point game, those extra possessions were crucial.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 107.8 points per 100 possessions to 106.7 for the Magic.
The Magic's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 39-23.
Who made the difference
Luka Doncic was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 33 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl on 12-30 shooting. His Game Score of 23 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 16 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl on 4-14 shooting, good for a 13.8 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 43% for the Lakers.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Orlando Magic lead 3-0.
The Lakers are now 46-25, and the Magic are 38-32. The Lakers last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.