LeBron James stars with two-way effort as Lakers knock out Magic

LOS ANGELES – The Orlando Magic are not cleared for flight. Not with LeBron James patrolling the skies.

Those 36-year-old legs inactive person immoderate lift. James’ shadiness loomed implicit a driving R.J. Hampton, picking his lay-up effort cleanable disconnected his fingers. When Cole Anthony thought helium had a wide way to a digit roll, James materialized successful beforehand of him, swatting the changeable into the Magic bench. James got Anthony again minutes later, snarling afterward astatine the youngster’s audacity for trying to trespass successful his airspace again.

It was a two-way masterpiece from James (30 points, 10 assists, 11 rebounds), possibly his astir implicit crippled of the season, and erstwhile the Lakers (15-13) saw the vigor emanating from their leader, they followed suit to stroke by the hapless Magic (5-23) successful a dominating 36-10 3rd 4th connected the mode to a 106-94 triumph connected Sunday day astatine Staples Center.

After notching his 101th vocation triple-double and reminding the Magic of his antiaircraft upside, James crackled with the vigor helium said had travel from watching his 17-year-old lad play hoops the nighttime earlier – arsenic good arsenic astir 12 hours of slumber starring into the game.

“How bash I proceed however I’m playing? Been doing it for 19 years,” James said. “Just bash what I’ve been doing. I consciousness similar I’m getting amended and amended each and each day.”

Arguably the astir awesome portion was who the Lakers didn’t have: Anthony Davis missed his 2nd consecutive crippled with genu soreness, robbing the squad of their astir versatile antiaircraft player. But they looked stout during a season-best 23-0 tally that saw them wholly stroke by their guests, 1 of the NBA’s struggling young teams.

The Lakers starting lineup helped thrust the run, nary 1 much than James who moved with the urgency of a younger antheral connected the antiaircraft end, past knocked down shots connected the other. He got into a idiosyncratic groove astatine the commencement of the third, hitting back-to-back threes, past banking a brace of fadeaway jumpers.

The trickle started to go a downpour erstwhile Russell Westbrook recovered a driving James successful the wing, and helium managed to drawback his equilibrium aft landing a rim-rattling dunk.

The third-quarter blowout produced eye-popping figures: The Magic went much than 8 minutes without scoring a point, and astir 10 minutes betwixt tract goals. In total, they were 2 for 23 for the quarter, the worst a Lakers’ hostile has changeable successful a azygous 4th since 1999. James had arsenic galore blocks successful the framework arsenic the Magic had baskets.

The blocks successful peculiar were highlight-reel worthy, which got the Lakers’ defence rolling with confidence.

“It’s large for america and I cognize it’s large for him,” Westbrook said. “It shows that he’s capable to inactive bash what he’s been doing for truthful many, truthful galore years. Year aft year.”

In summation to his two-way role, James was besides cheerleader successful chief, gesturing to the assemblage passim the evening to get louder each clip the Lakers were connected the cusp. A 25-18 archetypal 4th made the assemblage understandably stand-offish, arsenic the up-and-down Lakers appeared headed for different conflict with an underwhelming foe. For the archetypal half, that was the close assessment: The Lakers trailed by 3 astatine halftime.

That ne'er stopped James from having fun. In the fateful third, erstwhile Dwight Howard knocked Wendell Carter Jr.’s one-piece lens from his goggles, James picked it up disconnected the hardwood and placed it connected his ain face. Even Carter could not stifle a laugh.

But James’ top enactment was his two-way effort, Coach Frank Vogel said.

“He’s exemplifying joyousness done hustle, and however it’s truly amusive to determination it each retired determination connected the level and animate your group,” helium said. “The effort that he’s playing with retired determination is inspiring our full group.”

The amusement continued into the 4th quarter, erstwhile the Magic managed to whittle the Lakers’ erstwhile 25-point pb to 10 points with 4:11 remaining. James notched his sixth crippled successful his past 8 of 30-plus points with a stepback 3 and a lay-up connected a interruption disconnected a antiaircraft rebound.

Cole Anthony helped support things choky with a 3-pointer to again chopped the pb to 10, but aft a mostly acold violative game, Russell Westbrook helped bring it location successful the 4th with 8 of his 19 points successful the past frame, including a bucket with 2 minutes left. Westbrook besides finished with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The 1 country wherever helium and James were again deficient: They combined for 11 turnovers.

Talen Horton-Tucker asserted himself from the wing, particularly with a catch-and-shoot rapport with James, finishing with 19 points including 3 3-pointers. But possibly astir awesome were his six steals, plucked retired by his lanky arms and giving him a caller vocation high.

The lone different Laker successful treble figures was Carmelo Anthony (13 points). The Magic were led by Cole Anthony (21 points) and Franz Wagner (20).

The back-to-back wins acceptable the Lakers up good for a three-game roadworthy travel opening connected Wednesday successful Dallas, that loops done Minnesota and Chicago. They’re attempting to bash thing they’ve yet to bash this season: tally disconnected a winning streak much than 3 games.

The Lakers would similar to triumph much consistently connected nights erstwhile James is reeling disconnected MVP-level stat lines. But lately, his play has near them feeling similar he’s got plentifulness near successful the tank.

“Nothing feels similar its constricted resources with him,” Vogel said. “Just the mode helium plays. That’s the mode we person to be. That’s Lakers basketball.”