Magic returns from 16 but falls to Lakers to close out road trip – The Denver Post

The Orlando Magic came back from a 16-point deficit to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 111-105 on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena to cap off their trip to the Western coast.

The Magic (29-43) got off to a good start, jumping to a 20-11 lead behind solid play from the starters.

But their bench didn’t match the early production of the Lakers second unit led by Austin Reaves, who scored a career-high 35 points to go with 6 assists and 6 rebounds in 30 minutes.

The Lakers bench outscored the Magic 61-26.

The Los Angeles bench helped build a 47-31 lead in the second quarter, a 59-49 advantage at halftime and an 84-81 advantage going into the fourth.

The Magic continued to cut their deficit and Cole Anthony’s 3-pointer with 2:39 remaining tied the game at 101.

A minute later, Paolo Banchero (21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) fouls Reaves on a 3-pointer. Reaves made 2 of 3 free throws to give the Lakers a 103-101 lead with 1:33 left.

Franz Wagner (21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) made a layup 20 seconds later to tie it again at 103 but Reaves made a pull-up 2 on possession that followed to give the Lakers a lead of 2 points.

Wagner missed a pull-up 3 with 43.2 seconds left on the next possession, with Markelle Fultz (12 points, 10 assists) fouling Reaves trying to steal and sent him to the free throw line. Reaves made both free throws, giving the Lakers a 107-103 lead with 33.8 seconds left.

Banchero missed a layup on the possession that followed the Magic, sealing the result.

He was given a technical foul for arguing for a no-call on his way to the basket on the missed layup.

Reaves made the technical free throw plus 2 more after Fultz committed a grappling foul.

Banchero’s technique came in what was a frustrating game for Orlando. The Lakers shot 26 of 32 free throws, including 16 of 18 by Reaves, compared to 13 of 17 for the Magic.

The Magic wrapped up the West Coast trip 1-3 after starting the swing with losses to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday and the Phoenix Suns on Thursday before beating the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Prize to khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.

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