The head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Darvin Ham, expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance in the opening game of their four-game road trip, which culminated in a 120-101 defeat against the Orlando Magic. Despite commendable contributions from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers, currently at a 3-3 record, consistently struggled to secure rebounds and exhibited less defensive resilience than the USC football team.

“We just didn’t have it today,” stated Ham.

Ham called the showing a “huge, huge step backward” for the Lakers, particularly in the defensive rebounding department. The Lakers were out-rebounded by 11 and surrendered 19 offensive boards.

“You can’t scheme rebounding,” he noted. “You got to get the damn ball, plain and simple…There’s no play I can draw up to get rebounds.”

“The offensive rebounds killed us the entire game,” said Anthony Davis.

The Los Angeles Lakers found themselves grappling with ongoing issues as they entered Saturday’s game ranked last in second-chance points and 25th in second-chance points allowed. Orlando capitalized on this vulnerability, amassing a +19 advantage in second-chance points until Coach Ham decided to pull the starters with just over four minutes remaining. The Lakers also allowed 22 points off turnovers and were -10 in fast-break points, highlighting concerns that have persisted since the season opener.

A particularly troubling recurring pattern has been the Lakers trailing by double-digits at the end of the first quarter in five out of six games. Their defensive struggles were evident as they surrendered 39 points in just 12 minutes to the Orlando Magic. LeBron James addressed the issue, emphasizing the need to rectify their trend of conceding offensive rebounds and points off turnovers.

“We got to try to figure it out because that’s definitely been our trend,” said LeBron. “Offensive rebounds, points off turnovers.”

Anthony Davis pinpointed the root of the slow starts, stressing that it’s not a matter of skill or talent but rather the lapses in areas such as offensive rebounds, turnovers leading to fast-break points, and the failure to secure 50/50 balls. These early-game challenges have consistently placed the team at a disadvantage, necessitating near perfection to recover.

“It’s not even the skill, the talent,” AD said about the slow starts. “It’s the offensive rebounds, the turnovers leading to transition points, 50/50 balls. It’s those type of plays that get us down. … We continuously dig ourselves a hole in first quarters. Puts us behind the 8-ball. Now everything has to go perfect.”

Despite missing four key rotation players, including Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, and Jarred Vanderbilt, the Los Angeles Lakers recognized that this should not serve as an excuse for their performance. Conversely, the Orlando Magic also faced injury setbacks, with Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz, and Gary Harris absent from their lineup. However, the Lakers experienced a lackluster and sloppy start to the game, struggling to exhibit their characteristic ball movement and physicality.

The defensive prowess displayed by Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes in their previous game was notably absent at the Amway Center, with all three players facing difficulties. The opposing duo of Paolo Banchero, who delivered 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Franz Wagner, who scored 26 points, took advantage of the Lakers’ struggles and thrived in the matchup.

Coach Ham acknowledged that both teams were dealing with injury-related setbacks, emphasizing that the game ultimately boiled down to a mental approach. Unfortunately for the Lakers, their effort fell short as they were outworked by the Orlando Magic.

“They’re down bodies, we’re down bodies, so the game basically comes down to mental approach…They out-worked us,” said Ham.

One of the contributing factors to their defeat was their 3-point shooting, with the Lakers converting only 8 of 30 attempts, and D’Angelo Russell struggling at 1-for-10. Conversely, Orlando also faced difficulties with their 3-point shooting, missing 33 out of 45 attempts.

LeBron James, playing 35 minutes, contributed 24 points on an efficient 8-for-15 shooting, while Anthony Davis made a significant impact with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 blocks, albeit with four turnovers and five fouls. However, Davis finished with a -24 plus/minus rating.

Austin Reaves continued to make strides, providing an efficient 20 points. The Lakers now look to bounce back, both in terms of their performance and their rebounding, as they prepare for their upcoming matchup against the Miami Heat on Monday.