Anthony Davis, Lakers Defense Ripped by Fans as LeBron James, LA Routed by Magic

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The Los Angeles Lakers are probably going to want that one back.

The Purple and Gold were blown out by the Orlando Magic 120-101 on Saturday night in what was an abysmal defensive showing from Darvin Ham’s squad.

The Lakers were out-rebounded by the Magic 51-40 and also allowed Orlando to shoot 45.5 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. L.A., in comparison, struggled from deep, making just 8 of 30 shots in the loss.

LeBron James finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals and Anthony Davis finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and seven blocks, but it wasn’t enough for the team to overcome a big deficit.

While Davis was solid on the offensive side, he finished the game minus-24. That said, the only player on the team with a plus-rating was James, who finished plus-12.

After the loss, which dropped the Lakers to 0-3 on the road this season, fans were quick to criticize Davis and the Lakers for their poor defensive play:

If the Purple and Gold are going to improve from the 2022-23 season, they’ll need to be far better defensively than they were against the Magic.

With Saturday’s loss, the Lakers are now 3-3 on the season and will be looking to rebound against the Miami Heat on Monday.