LOS ANGELES (AP) – D’Angelo Russell scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, LeBron James added nine of his 19 in the final period, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 106-103 victory over the Orlando Magic yesterday.
Anthony Davis had 26 points and 19 rebounds for the Lakers, who handed Orlando its first loss of the season by finishing on a 12-5 run in the final four minutes.
“What you guys see is a team figuring it out,” Russell said. “This isn’t the product that it will be in a month or two from now. Every game matters. Every clutch situation matters. Every practice matters. So we’re figuring it out.”
The Magic nursed a lead throughout the fourth quarter until James put the Lakers ahead by one on a three-pointer with 2:27 to play. Jalen Suggs replied with his third three-pointer of the night, but Russell hit another three-pointer with 1:43 to go.
Both teams missed two shots apiece before Suggs’ shot in the lane was smothered by Davis and rebounded by Christian Wood with 13 seconds to play. After Russell hit two free throws, Franz Wagner and Suggs missed three-point attempts in the final seconds, with James getting credit for a block on Wagner’s shot.
The Lakers got a much-needed big game from Russell, the returning point guard who can carry some of the scoring load when James and Davis are weary. Russell added eight assists while hitting 10 of his 14 shots, including three three-pointers.
Russell, James and Davis combined to score the Lakers’ final 30 points over the last 13 minutes.
“We’re going to continue to get better,” James said. “I think we’re still a little trying to figure it out, which is okay. We’re four games in. We’re going to get a lot better throughout the season, but so far we like some of the things we see.”
Gary Harris Jr scored 17 points with five three-pointers for the Magic, who missed their final five shots. Wagner scored 16 points and Suggs had 15.
