Magic hand Lakers third straight defeat, Bulls beat Nuggets

Los Angeles, United States: The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another setback in their NBA playoff push on Monday, falling 118-106 to the Orlando Magic, who notched their first home victory since February.

Despite 32 points from Luka Doncic and 24 from LeBron James the Lakers dropped their third straight game and at 43-28 are now tied with the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for fourth place in the Western Conference.

Franz Wagner scored 32 points and Paolo Banchero added 30 for the Magic, who out-scored the Lakers 34-18 in the third quarter to seize control of the contest. The defeat follows the Lakers´ blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls in James´s first game back after missing seven with a groin injury. The Bulls knocked off another Western Conference contender, beating the short-handed Nuggets 129-119 in Denver for a third straight victory.

The Lakers had hoped James, Doncic and a newly healthy Rui Hachimura would fuel a strong stretch run. The Oklahoma City Thunder are assured of the top seed in the West but the Nuggets, Lakers and Grizzlies are all within two and a half games of the second-placed Houston Rockets.

Doncic said the Lakers need to recapture the intensity they displayed in an eight-game winning streak that had briefly pushed them to second in the West. “We were physical. We played hell of a defense,” Doncic said. “And I think we just got a little bit satisfied. We can´t afford that right now.”

The Lakers led by nine in the first half and cut a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to seven with 5:39 remaining, but the Magic -- eighth in the Eastern Conference -- swiftly pulled away again.

The Nuggets were still clinging to third in the West after falling to the Bulls, who were fueled by 37 points from Coby White -- his third straight game of 35 or more. Josh Giddey added 26 points, eight rebounds and nine assists and six Chicago players scored in double figures as the Bulls, ninth in the East, rallied from an early 13-point deficit.

The Nuggets led by four early in the fourth quarter, but with NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic again sidelined with an ankle injury and Aaron Gordon absent they couldn´t stop the Bulls´ late surge. The defending champion Boston Celtics cruised to a sixth straight victory, but their 113-95 win over the Kings in Sacramento was marred by an injury to All-Star Jayson Tatum.