Lakers 107, Magic 98: Poor second-half effort plagues Orlando in Los Angeles

Losers of their last two, the Orlando Magic faced a must-win in the second game of their West Coast road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers. After a good first half, the Magic didn't play any defense in the second half, falling face first against the Lakers, 107-08.

A night after a late loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Magic started off flat, falling behind the hosts 7-2 before quickly heating up. Behind hot shooting from their backcourt, the Magic surged in front, taking a lead as big as seven late in the quarter. Victor Oladipo led the way for the Magic, scoring 11 points, with Elfrid Payton adding seven of his own in the quarter. After one, the Magic found themselves up six, leading 26-20 against the lowly Lakers.

With their reserves in, the Magic began to slump early in the second quarter. Bad shot attempts from Brandon Jennings and Mario Hezonja continued to clatter off the rim, allowing the Lakers to put together a quick 7-0 run to take a brief one point lead early in the quarter. Once the Magic reinserted their starters, however, things balanced back out, with Evan Fournier leading the Magic's second quarter charge with 12 points. Thanks to Fournier's strong quarter, the Magic saw their lead stay the same, carrying a six point lead into halftime, 51-45.

Out of halftime, the Magic laid an egg once again. A lack of energy on both ends plagued the Magic the entire quarter, with the Lakers going on a 26-16 run to end the quarter. The Magic were unable to put together multiple stops in a row, with the Lakers shooting a blazing hot 59 percent en route to a season-high 39 points in the quarter. After three, the Magic found themselves trailing the host Lakers 84-77.

Down seven, and with an poor effort level, things weren't looking good for the Magic yet again. Their poor effort continued into the fourth quarter, with the Lakers pushing their lead to as many as 13. Their inability to get anything going consistently on either end killed any chance the Magic had of take home a needed win in Los Angeles.

D'Angelo Russell led the way for the Lakers, finishing with 27 on the night. Fellow backcourt mate Jordan Clarkson added 24. The Lakers other young building block, Julius Randle, rounded out their players in double figures, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Oladipo did much of the damage for the Magic, finish the night with an efficient 26. Fournier followed closely, scoring 23 on the night. Jason Smith and C.J. Watson each added 10 to round out Magic players in double figures.