Kobe Bryant didn’t suit up for the Lakers’ tilt with Orlando, but he did get a first-row seat for what the organization hopes is a glimpse at the future.
Bryant watched from the end of the bench as D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle each reached 20 points in the same game for the first time, combining for 74 of Los Angeles’ points in its 107-98 win over the Magic.
“I was pretty happy for those three guys, because I thought they all played extremely well,” head coach Byron Scott said. “Obviously those are the three guys that we’re really trying to prime to get to the next level and kind of take that challenge every single night.”
Russell led the way by racking up 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting, while also coming up with three steals. Clarkson followed with 24 points on a 9-of-17 clip, hitting five 3-pointers and going 4-of-5 inside the arc.
“We have to continue to keep proving (our growth),” Russell said. “We believe in each other, we know what each other are capable of.”
But Randle was the one who captured the attention of Orlando coach Scott Skiles. The 21-year-old power forward tied his career-high with 23 points, while also corralling 11 rebounds for his 28th double-double of the year.
“We had a lot of difficulty with Randle’s physicality,” Skiles said. “He was kind of throwing us around all night.”
Randle’s aggression was a huge component toward the Lakers scoring a season-best 56 points in the paint.
“The frightening thing was just how quick he went around us on multiple occasions,” Skiles said. “And then the other part, where he was just throwing us around.”
Initially, it appeared that the Lakers (14-51) might be in for a letdown after their stunning win over defending-champion Golden State just two days prior.
Behind Evan Fournier’s dozen points in the second quarter alone, the Magic (27-36) bounced out to a 51-45 halftime lead.
“I wasn’t happy with the first half,” Scott said, “but (in) the second half we came out and played with the same fire and intensity and passion that we played with against the Golden State Warriors for 48 minutes.”
Indeed, the Lakers had all of those attributes on display after intermission, tying their season-high for points in a quarter with 39 in the third.
Russell racked up 14 points in that frame, while Randle supplied 11 of his own. L.A. stole the lead within the opening minutes, but Orlando managed to cut it down to 67-65 midway through the period.
Still, the Lakers responded with 12-5 run to keep the Magic at bay for good, leading by as many as 15 the rest of the way.
“We were just moving the ball, making shots and finding the open man,” Clarkson said. “We were very unselfish tonight and we just played well alongside each other.”
Notes
With leading scorer and rebounder Nikola Vucevic out with a groin strain, the Magic also turned to their youth, as Victor Oladipo (26 points) and Fournier (23) powered the team’s offense. … Orlando shot just 5-of-13 on 3-pointers. … A sold-out crowd of 18,997 packed Staples Center.
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