Lakers’ loss to Magic snaps crazy 25-game streak in 2025-26

The Los Angeles Lakers have not been too inspiring this season in terms of being a legitimate title contender, as their defense has been too poor for long stretches that it’s hard to believe that they can cobble together a defense that is good enough to compete especially in the loaded West. But they have been excellent in clutch games and they have been good in maintaining leads, which is why they remain in the top-six in the West standings despite worrying underlying numbers.

However, on Tuesday night, the Lakers failed at the things they were supposed to be good in. They led after three quarters in their contest against the Orlando Magic (80-79 after three), and they were in the middle of a clutch game against a middling Eastern Conference team. They somehow lost, as a combination of late-game hesitation and late-game defensive issues undid the Lakers.

With the Magic breaking the Lakers’ hearts, 110-109, courtesy of a Wendell Carter Jr. game-winner, the Purple and Gold have now lost their first game this season when leading after three quarters, as per X user @dmai21. They won their first 25 such games this season, but now, the Magic have dealt them a devastating blow.

Lakers’ defensive issues surface in crunch time

Luka Doncic endured a rough shooting night but began to turn up near the end of the game. It looked like he was going to take over the game, but instead, he hesitated to take the last shot, which put LeBron James in such a tough situation with the clock dying down — leading to the Lakers’ defeat.

But it’s LA’s defense that is to blame for their latest defeat. They allowed the Magic to carve them up in the paint to the tune of 58 points, with Paolo Banchero getting to the basket over and over again. The game-winner they allowed came from their inability to control the defensive boards.

The Lakers have some soul-searching to do if they were to figure it out this season.

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