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ORLANDO – C & # 39; was "Classic Night" in Orlando on Saturday; the Orlando Magic was paired with traditional video graphics and gaming music, as well as some pretty vintage Shaquille O-Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway vintage uniforms from the 1990s.
In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to participate to some extent, returning their defense early in the season, when they were horrible, unlike the way they had played much more recently.
Worse, Lonzo Ball had serious offensive problems and remained unsuccessful against Rajon Rondo in a 130-117 Lakers defeat at the Amway Center on Saturday night.
LeBron James will return to Miami on Sunday night and hope the Lakers and Ball will play better against the team of his old friend Dwyane Wade and his former boss Pat Riley. This will be the first of two consecutive games back for James, who will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers next Wednesday for the first time since signing with the Lakers free agency.
"After the first quarter, we were pretty bad on the defensive side," said James, who had 22 points and seven assists, while watching the fourth quarter from the bench while the Lakers were never reducing. Orlando advance under the double-digit bar. "We had a lot of breakdowns, unusual from us lately.
"But give credit to Orlando, they put us in positions where they simply took advantage of not being in the right places in defense," added James.
The Lakers saw their winning streak win four defenseless games. The Lakers (8-7) opened the first quarter and look like a team that has won six of its last seven games, scoring 31 points in the first quarter. But their defense eventually collapsed, resembling the defense that averaged 120 points per game in the first 10 games of the season.
"There were a lot of things that hurt us tonight," said James. "It's not just a thing."
D.J. Augustin was the last quick guard to unveil the Lakers defense, scoring 18 of his 22 points and scoring 7 of 8 shots in the second and third quarters. By the time Augustin had finished flying with the Lakers guards, the Magic was up 100 to 81 when he entered the fourth.
Nikola Vucevic also scorched the Lakers for 36 points and 13 rebounds, forcing Lakers coach Luke Walton to try to reduce the score while Vucevic shot from outside and the Lakers defensive duo JaVale. McGee and Tyson Chandler, was inactive.
Meanwhile, Ball, who had been on defense with two interceptions and a lockout, missed all five shots and finished with zero points, four assists and five rebounds. It was the second goalless goal of Ball's career.
It was not what the Lakers needed in their first game without Rondo, who should miss at least a month after undergoing surgery to repair a third fractured metacarpal.
"I did not play well at all tonight, I did not score, I think I had four turnovers, so it's not a good match," Ball said. "Bounced tomorrow."
"I was going to withdraw it, but I looked at the coach and he said: 'Go ahead,' then [I shot it], "Stephenson told ESPN." I looked at him, he said, "Go ahead, play", so I decided to go there. "
The game was long out of reach, so James was probably ready to get rid of that bad taste when he returned to Miami. Maybe a visit to the place where James had his first success in the championship will bring something much better Lakers. That said, James will look to break a series of four defeats in Miami as a visitor.
"It brings back memories when you go to a place where you've had success," said James. "It's been so long since I did not play, the banners are still hanging and the memories are still there."
Dave McMenamin of ESPN contributed to this story.
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