Lugging a four-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Lakers headed to central Florida to take on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
The Magic had a dismal 13-21 record coming into the game, but it was misleading. They had won eight of their last nine contests. It looked like there was a real chance L.A. would lose its fifth in a row.
Instead, LeBron James and company started building a lead in the first quarter that they never relinquish. The advantage grew to six at the end of the first period and 10 at halftime, and unlike what has happened so often this season, they maintained that lead in the third quarter.
The Lakers even increased that lead in the final minutes of the game, resulting in a 129-110 victory.
They needed this win in the worst way, just as they needed a night of good 3-point shooting. Los Angeles took 43 shots from beyond the arc, which was a lot for it, but the team converted 17 of them for…
