The Los Angeles Lakers rode a fast start and stellar performances from Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James to notch a 119-112 win over the Orlando Magic in an NBA restart scrimmage on Saturday afternoon.
The Lakers (49-14 current regular-season record) established a commanding 35-19 advantage through the first 10 minutes, and the Magic (30-35 current regular-season record) were only able to shave three points from their deficit heading into halftime. Orlando made it interesting with a 40-point third quarter, but strong production from the second unit led by Kuzma’s game-high 25 points helped Los Angeles hold on for the victory. The Lakers weren’t down by more than one point at any stage and held as much as a 19-point lead while shooting 56.9 percent from the floor.
Kuzma complemented his aforementioned scoring total with seven rebounds and one assist. James followed with 20 points and added seven assists and two rebounds across 25 minutes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went 7-for-8 from the field on his way to 17 points. He also posted three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dion Waiters poured in 12 points. Dwight Howard and Quinn Cook supplied matching nine-point tallies, with Howard also pulling down eight rebounds.
D.J. Augustin paced the Magic with 21 points and also provided five assists and two rebounds. Michael Carter-Williams led the bench with 15 points, supplementing them with eight boards, three assists and one steal. Aaron Gordon mustered 14 points, while Terrence Ross registered 12 points but drained just two of his 10 field-goal attempts. Nikola Vucevic furnished 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Both teams return to the floor Monday, with the Lakers facing the Washington Wizards to kick off the day’s ledger and the Magic tangling with the Denver Nuggets in the evening.
