ORLANDO, Fla. — The Lakers looked on as LeBron James moved around the paint inside the Amway Center on Tuesday morning, explaining when and how the Lakers should try to rotate on defense later in the night against the Orlando Magic.
The scheme, even though the teams have near-identical records, would be critical, the Lakers needing to get it right just two days after they gave up 51 points in a quarter during a loss to Dallas.
But all the talking, all the drilling Tuesday morning — it couldn’t undo one critical factor against the Magic. No matter what James said or the Lakers did, they were always going to be way smaller than the team they were playing that night.
But with the right attitude, the right focus and the right intentions, the Lakers undid any size disadvantage and delivered a strong 129-111 victory, ending a four-game losing streak.
James scored 28, Thomas Bryant added 21 and Russell Westbrook had a triple-double — 15 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists. It’s Westbrook’s third triple-double off the bench, tying him with Detlef Schrempf for most ever.
Six Lakers finished with 10 points or more.
The team plays the Heat in Miami on Wednesday.
