Lakers forward LeBron James, left, reaches in to try to steal the ball from Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero during the second half on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic guard Caleb Houstan (2) fouls Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) as he goes up for a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes the ball as he gets past Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic guard Cory Joseph (10) moves between Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and forward Rui Hachimura (28) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers head coach JJ Redick directs his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze (35) passes the ball as he is pressured by Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) puts up a shot as he gets between Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) and guard Gary Harris (14) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, right, looks to pass the ball as he is defended by Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) looks for a way past Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers guard Austin Reaves, left, fouls Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, center, as forward LeBron James tries to defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers star Luka Doncic, right, looks to shoot as Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. defends during the first half on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley shouts to players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Lakers Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) dives for a loose ball in front of forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) and Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) and guard Caleb Houstan, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) goes between Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) and guard Gabe Vincent (7) for a shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner, center, dives for a loose ball against Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, left, forward Rui Hachimura (28) and forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers star Luka Doncic steps back before taking a 3-point shot as the Orlando Magic’s Caleb Houstan defends during the first half on Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) makes a shot over Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers guard Luka Doncic, right, moves the ball past Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers forward LeBron James, right, drives around Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner, right, drives to the basket past Lakers guard Luka Doncic during the second half on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. The Lakers had communication breakdowns on defense in their 118-106 loss. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Lakers guard Austin Reaves, center, loses control of the ball as he goes between Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) and guard Gary Harris during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner, left, passes the ball against Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Show Caption1 of 23Lakers forward LeBron James, left, reaches in to try to steal the ball from Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero during the second half on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Expand ORLANDO, Fla. — Lakers coach JJ Redick recognized that his team developed “bad habits defensively” over the last couple of weeks while they worked to get healthier. And with those habits showing themselves in the Lakers’ blowout home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, Redick made it clear what he wanted to see from his team as they kicked off a four-game road trip against the Orlando Magic on Monday night. Be more physical. Offer more resistance on opponents’ drives. And if they get to the rim, provide even more resistance. The Lakers’ early efforts made it evident that the message was received, but they didn’t sustain the physicality and defensive play necessary against a big, physical Orlando squad, falling to the Magic, 118-106, in the opener of a four-game road trip. “We had a really good intention to start the game,” Redick said. “We tried to clean some things up in film. We still gotta clean some things up with some of our execution of coverages.” The Lakers (43-28) have lost three straight games by a combined 72 points, and they’ve lost seven of their past 10 games dating to March 8. Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 32 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, but the 26-year-old Slovenian star was regularly targeted defensively by the Magic (34-38), whether it was in screening actions or drives to the rim from Franz Wagner (32 points, eight assists, four rebounds) or Paolo Banchero (30 points, seven rebounds). “They’re both great players,” Doncic said of the Magic’s young star duo. “That’s the first thing that makes them special. They’re young and this team is built around them. Obviously, saw how they started this season. They had some bad luck with injuries, but this team is built around those two. Just trying to stop them is very hard. They can do a little bit of everything and those two are special players in this league.” LeBron James, playing in his second game since returning from a groin injury that sidelined him for two weeks, finished with 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Austin Reaves added 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals. But the Lakers didn’t overcome their defensive deficiencies, with the Magic taking advantage of the Lakers in transition (20 fast-break points). “We look tired,” Redick said. “And I don’t know what contributes to that. That happens periodically throughout a season where the group gets tired. That’s what it feels like right now. We weren’t able to sustain our level of intensity that we started the game with.” And the Lakers’ strategy to give space to players who are viewed as non-shooting threats backfired. The Magic, who entered Monday as the league’s worst 3-point shooting team (31.1%), shot 15 for 40 (37.5%) from behind the arc and outscored the Lakers 34-18 in the third quarter. Once it became clear the Lakers weren’t going to be able to shoot their way back into the game, their collective fatigue after playing eight games in 12 days, became apparent. “We need the adversity,” Finney-Smith said. “Especially being a new team, we get to learn a lot about each other during tough times. You usually don’t see things when you winning. So we got the chance to grow. We’re going to use this opportunity to grow.” The Lakers held a nine-point lead late in the first half (60-51), but Orlando used a 7-0 run to cut into that before halftime, then the Magic’s big third quarter gave them a 92-78 lead going into the fourth. They led 100-83 early in the final period. “We let our offense mess up with our defensive energy,” Finney-Smith said. “It was just tough to fight back.” Related Articles Lakers | Luka Doncic takes responsibility for Lakers’ communication drop-off in loss to Magic Lakers | Lakers looking to get ‘reconnected’ as playoff push tightens Lakers | LeBron James returns, but little goes right for Lakers in blowout loss to Bulls Lakers | LeBron James, Rui Hachimura return in Lakers’ home game vs. Bulls Lakers | LeBron James, Rui Hachimura might return for Lakers’ game vs. Bulls ...read more read less