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National Basketball Association
L.A. Lakers 111, Orlando 95
When: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, January 8, 2017
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #72 J.T. Orr, #21 Dedric Taylor
Attendance: 18997

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers feasted on the Orlando Magic's inconsistent offense and breakdowns on defense Sunday night.

Julius Randle scored 19 points and D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram contributed 17 apiece as the Lakers earned a 111-95 victory over the Magic on Sunday night at Staples Center.

Timofey Mozgov collected 15 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (15-26), winners of three of their last four games. Los Angeles forward Luol Deng had 11 points.

Russell also had eight rebounds and seven assists. However, the Lakers were just as pleased with another solid performance from the 19-year-old Ingram, who hit 6 of 9 shots from the floor for the second game in a row and matched his career high in scoring again.

"I'm starting to feel comfortable, just finding openings in the offense and trying to make plays for myself, but also for my teammates," said Ingram, who scored 14 of his points in the second half. Ingram has made 17 of 28 field goals (60.7 percent) in the past three games.

Evan Fournier, Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic paced the Magic (16-23) with 19 points each. Ibaka also grabbed 10 rebounds while Bismack Biyombo had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Orlando, which has lost five of its last six contests.

The Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles padded a 12-point third-quarter advantage and led by as much as 18 midway through the fourth. The Magic sliced the margin to 103-93 but they got no closer.

"We didn't play well enough," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "We didn't start the game well enough on the defensive end, and I thought we really made a better effort than the last two games to move the basketball in the first half. We had 18 assists and some brilliant possessions, and we tried to move it some in the third, but we got ice cold."

In the third quarter, the Lakers began to create some space as their lead reached double digits. They opened the quarter with a 13-3 spurt after a basket by Russell, giving Los Angeles a 75-63 advantage with 5:05 remaining in the period. Orlando pulled to within seven less than two minutes later, but the Lakers increased the margin to 81-69 by the end of the quarter.

Although the Lakers scored just 19 points in the third, they held the Magic to only nine. Orlando made just 2 of 20 shots (10 percent) in the quarter and missed all five 3-point attempts. Los Angeles was 8 of 20 (40 percent) and 1 of 7 from long distance.

"I think we just really focused on coming out in the third quarter and really being locked in," said Randle, who pulled down nine rebounds. "We have given away a lot of leads and we haven't come out in the second half strong. As a unit, we know what we have to do but individually guys have been stepping up."

Both teams sizzled with their shooting in the opening period. The Lakers, who led 40-34 after one quarter, made 68.9 percent of their shots to 68.2 percent for the Magic in the first.

However, they cooled considerably in the second period, with Orlando managing 38.1 percent to 34.6 for Los Angeles. The Lakers, though, led 62-60 at the break.

Overall, the Lakers connected on 48.3 percent to 37.8 percent for the Magic. Orlando committed 18 turnovers, resulting in 23 points, to 13 miscues (12 points) for the Lakers.

Los Angeles dictated on points in the paint, outscoring the Magic 60-42.

"We've been saying the same stuff now for a while," said Fournier, who finished shooting 6 of 16 from the floor and 2 for 4 on 3-pointers. "Not being consistent. We're just not consistent so it is very frustrating because we know what we can accomplish, but for some reason we just don't do it."

NOTES: Lakers coach Luke Walton praised the work ethic of rookie F Brandon Ingram. Ingram played one of his best games in Friday's 127-100 romp over the Miami Heat, scoring a career-high-tying 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. "He works every day," Walton said, adding that he believes Ingram is figuring out how to attack opposing teams with his offense. ... The Lakers have scored 120 or more points five times this season. They reached the 120-point level just three times in the past two seasons combined. ... Magic coach Frank Vogel said his club must improve defensively if it expects to thrive. In their previous five games, four of those losses, the Magic have allowed an average of 110.2 points per game. ... The Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. ... The Magic visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Top Game Performances
 
Orlando   L.A. Lakers
Evan Fournier 19 Scoring Julius Randle 19
D.J. Augustin 8 Assists D'Angelo Russell 7
Bismack Biyombo 11 Rebounds Timofey Mozgov 9
Evan Fournier 5 Free Throws Made Julius Randle 6
Evan Fournier 3 Steals D'Angelo Russell 3
Nikola Vucevic 2 Blocks Brandon Ingram 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Orlando 95 37.8 7-26 20-29 24 54 3 5 18
L.A. Lakers 111 48.3 8-32 19-24 23 47 5 8 13
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Portland. The Lakers have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .407 after a loss.
  • Orlando will play their next game on the road against LA Clippers. The Magic have a W/L % of .353 after a win and .455 after a loss.