The Win Meter favors the Lakers at home against the Magic on Thursday, January 14, at about 72%. That is a real edge, but the Magic are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Lakers 72%, with a projected score of Orlando Magic 110, Los Angeles Lakers 116. The rating gap is 61 points in favor of the Lakers, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Lakers on top of that.
A reading this high has real meaning, but upsets of this size happen. Nearly one game in 4 like it goes the other way.
Recent form
The Magic are 0-2 this season and 0-5 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -14.4. The Lakers are 2-0 this season and 2-3 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -3.2.
The Magic were beaten 115-93 at home by MIN not long ago.
The Lakers' best recent win was 127-105 at home against GSW.
The Lakers were beaten 131-108 at home by OKC not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Jonathan Isaac (ORL), expected back Oct 28, 2026, Izaiyah Nelson (ORL), expected back Nov 18, 2026, Noah Penda (ORL), expected back Nov 18, 2026, and Paolo Banchero (ORL), expected back Nov 22, 2026.
Day to day or questionable: Anthony Black (ORL), Cameron Carr (LAL), Adou Thiero (LAL), and Jake LaRavia (LAL). Their status can change before tip-off.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Magic lead 3-1, with the Magic outscoring the Lakers by an average of 3.2 points per game. The last meeting was LAL 105, ORL 104.