LOS ANGELES (AP) - LeBron James starred with a 30-point triple-double as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 106-94.
Talen Horton-Tucker scored seven of his 19 points as Los Angeles utterly dominated a close game out of halftime, scoring 23 consecutive points while holding the Magic to 2-for-23 shooting in the third quarter with their field goals scored nearly 10 minutes apart. Los Angeles rode that 36-10 advantage in the third to its second straight win and moved two games above .500 for the first time in four weeks.
Russell Westbrook had 19 points and James secured his 101st career triple-double in the final minutes as the Lakers won their second straight with second-leading scorer Anthony Davis sidelined by left knee soreness.
James also had three exciting blocked shots in an all-around effort that showed the four-time MVP is still a formidable force — and the Lakers still could be a championship threat if they can somehow stay healthy.
Cole Anthony scored 21 points for the Magic, who went 0-5 on their West Coast trip despite rallying in the fourth quarter.
Franz Wagner added 20 points and seven rebounds, but the Magic responded to Saturday night’s last-second loss to the Clippers with a solid first half and a catastrophic third quarter in their 12th loss in 13 games. Orlando dropped to 5-23 despite hitting 13 3-pointers.
James scored 13 points in the first four minutes after halftime, slicing up Orlando’s defense with 3-pointers and dunks alike while also making two crowd-pleasing blocks at the rim. With his final assist late in the fourth quarter, he got his second triple-double of the season and second in three games.
Neither team took a substantial lead in a first half highlighted by James’ spectacular chase-down block of R.J. Hampton’s layup attempt in the second quarter. The Magic hit nine 3-pointers during the first half in another significant step for one of the NBA’s worst-shooting and lowest-scoring teams.