The Los Angeles Lakers stayed close in the first half, but they ran out of gas in the second half against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, losing 89-75 to Orlando. It was the first loss of the road trip for the Lakers, who had won four straight coming into today. The 75 points was a season low for the Lakers, who shot just 39.3% in the game.
The Lakers trailed by four points at halftime, and Andrew Bynum outplayed Howard, with 11 points and seven rebounds compared to nine points, five rebounds, and three fouls in the first half for Howard. However, Howard dominated in the second half, with 22 points, giving him 31 points and 13 rebounds on the day. Bynum ended with 17 points and nine rebounds, but was a non-factor in the second half, with just six points and two rebounds.
Kobe Bryant and Bynum led the Lakers in scoring with 17 points each, but in reality it was hard to find any positives on offense today. The Lakers averaged just 0.89 points per possession in today's contest, a far cry from their 1.12 points per possession on the season. The men on the perimeter, Derek Fisher, Ron Artest, Shannon Brown, and Steve Blake, combined to make just seven of 26 field goals in today's game, including just one for 11 from three-point range.
There is little rest for the weary, as the Lakers head to Charlotte to face the Bobcats on Monday night. The Lakers are just 5-7 in their last 12 games against the Bobcats, including 2-4 in Charlotte.
For more information on today's game, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.