Published 12:49 IST, January 16th 2020
Markelle Fultz leaves LeBron James in shock after outplaying him in Magic's 119-118 win
Orlando Magic registered an unlikely win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. Magic point guard Markelle Fultz was the destroyer-in-chief.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed Orlando Magic to the Staples Center on Wednesday night (Thursday morning IST). With the Lakers heading into the game on the back of a nine-game winning streak, the Lakers were well primed to inflict some major damage to the Orlando Magic’s playoffs push. However, Magic point guard Markelle Fultz was in no mood to lay his tools down at the Staples Center.
Magic vs Lakers: Markelle Fultz leaves LeBron James trailing in his smoke at Staples Center
With Orlando Magic dominating the Lakers well into the second quarter, Markelle Fultz stepped up to extend Magic's lead. On the play, Fultz raced across the court with one eye on the rim. Lakers star LeBron James was in two as he looked to impede Markelle Fultz's charge. The Orlando Magic point guard, however, paid little attention to the man guarding him.
With Orlando Magic leading 55-39, Markelle Fultz bulldozed his way through LeBron James to register a successful turnover. The move left LeBron James in awe as the Lakers star stood still, trying to get to grips with the situation. With Orlando Magic pushing the Lakers all the way, Markelle Fultz was one of the four players leading Orlando Magics' charge on the night. The likes of Wes Iwundu, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic rounded out a team effort from Orlando Magic.
NBA: Markellle Fultz recovers from Phoenix Suns heartbreak
With 15 points, six rebounds and six assists, Markelle Fultz had anything but a bad game against the Phoenix Suns. That is, until the dying moments of the game when Markelle Fultz got one over Ricky Rubio and raced to the basket. In a moment of hesitation, the Magic point guard got himself too deep and attempted to reroute the ball back to Evan Fournier at the three-point line.
However, the Suns then got the break they were looking for, with Devin Booker being set for the three-pointer. While Markelle Fultz and co. did try to restore their lead, it proved to be a case of too little too late for Orlando Magic. During the Magic vs Lakers match-up, however, Markelle Fultz showed no signs of carrying the scars from that loss to the Suns, as evident by his play against LeBron James.
Magic vs Lakers highlights
The LeBron James shove aside, Markelle Fultz had an eventful night at the Staples Center. The Magic point guard finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Lakers. LeBron James, on the other hand, could only manage 19 points at the Staples Center as the Los Angeles Lakers succumbed to a narrow 118-119 defeat. The loss snaps Lakers' nine-game winning streak.
Updated 12:49 IST, January 16th 2020