The Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers square off in an intriguing East vs. West battle down in La La Land. Will the Magic escape LA with a win? Or, will the Lakers get the W? Check out our preview of this showdown below.
Catch this game live on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 11:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Orlando Magic (30-26, 12-15 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Jalen Suggs (Questionable)
- Anthony Black
- Desmond Bane
- Paolo Banchero
- Wendell Carter Jr.
After a tough overtime loss (113-110) road loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Desmond Bane and the Magic got back to their winning ways right away, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood on Monday, 111-109. Bane played a huge role in that win, as he paced Orlando with 36 points on 13/19 shooting with four 3-pointers.
The former TCU Horned Frogs star been scorching of late, having scored 70 points in the last two Orlando games.
With Franz Wagner out indefinitely, the Magic are counting on Bane to keep it up, and will look to get a better performance this time around from Paolo Banchero, who only had 16 points on an inefficient 6/16 shooting versus the Clippers. The Magic’s offense takes a hit without Wagner, but his absence may not feel that hard against the Lakers’ mediocre defense. Speaking of which, Orlando is 13th in the league with a 113.6 defensive rating.
The Magic are 3-0 against the spread in their last three games away from Orlando.
Home: Los Angeles Lakers (34-22, 16-11 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Luka Doncic
- Austin Reaves
- Marcus Smart
- LeBron James
- Deandre Ayton
The Lakers need a pick-me-up win this Wednesday after getting embarrassed by Payton Pritchard and the Boston Celtics in LA on Monday.
Los Angeles got manhandled by the Celtics, resulting in a 111-89 loss for Luka Doncic and company. Doncic had 25 points on 9/22 shooting, but he also posted a -21 plus/minus, the worst in that contest. Meanwhile, LeBron James provided 20 points for the Lakers, who have lost three of their last five outings. Los Angeles could be slimmer in the frontcourt against the Magic, with the status of Jaxson Hayes still up in the air after he hurt his ankle in the first half of the Boston game.
The Lakers are 8th in the league with a 117.1 offensive rating and their 56.8 eFG% is second-best overall, but their defense keeps weighing them down. Los Angeles is 23rd with 116.9 points allowed per 100 possessions.
The Lakers have won seven of their last 10 home games against the Magic.
Picks
Spread: Los Angeles Lakers (-4.5)
Over/Under: Over (230.5)
