LeBron James made his return after a seven-game absence, teaming up with Luka Dončić for the second straight matchup on Monday. But even with the King back, the Lakers still couldn’t stop the bleeding—falling to yet another loss, just like their last outing. It feels like just yesterday that they were riding that eight-game win streak. But now, with only 11 games left, this squad looks nothing like the team that was firing on all cylinders before injuries tore through the roster.

The Orlando Magic finally ended their home-court struggles, snapping a six-game losing streak at the Kia Center with a 118-106 win. Doncic (32 points) and LeBron (24 points) did their bit, but it didn’t change the Lakers’ recent trend of disappointment. They’ve now dropped seven of their last 10, and this one had real consequences. The loss knocked them down to 43-28, dropping them into a fourth-place tie with Memphis while falling a half-game behind Denver in the West standings.

The problem? Defensive intensity. The Magic squad was clearly communicating more than the Lakers, just like what happened in the game against the Bulls. Their switching and scrambling defense looked off. But that is just one side of the problem. Another glaring issue has been the Lakers’ inability to stop scorers when they are on a roll. On Sunday, Coby White did the damage for the Lakers. Against Orlando, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero ripped the Lakers defense apart with 62 points together.

Doncic, in the post-game conference, emphasized the need for his team to rediscover their defensive intensity. When asked about the team’s recent struggles on that end of the floor, the 5x All-Star pointed to their previous success as a blueprint for getting back on track. “I think we just got to look back at the way we played during that eight-game winning streak,” Doncic said post-game. “You know, we were physical, we played a hell of a hell of a defense. I think we just got a little bit satisfied, so we can’t—we can’t afford that right now.”

The Slovenian’s comments reflect the team’s urgency to tighten up defensively as they fight for positioning in a crowded Western Conference playoff race. But Doncic didn’t shy away from accountability, admitting he needs to be more vocal alongside the 21x All-Star. Recognizing a key issue during the game, Doncic acknowledged that stepping back in leadership isn’t an option when sharing the floor with a player of the 4x MVP’s caliber.

“Honestly, I think it shouldn’t be just one person, it should be everybody,” Doncic said when asked who should take charge in shifting momentum. “Obviously now, it’s going to be everybody, but I think me and Bron, I think we should be the guys, you know, to do that. And, uh, that’s on me.” Feeling the weight of responsibility, Doncic admitted he fell short in keeping his voice active throughout the game. “Obviously, I got to do better. I got to talk more. I think I talked in the first half, uh, then just kind of voiced down. And I shouldn’t do that,” he said.

His admission of guilt makes it clear—Doncic knows that when playing next to LeBron, he can’t afford to go quiet. So, did the injury woes affect the chemistry the Lakers were raving about? Austin Reaves did not think so. “That [player injuries and returns] happens throughout the course of the year, multiple times. So, I don’t think that [chemistry] is the problem.

“When you’re getting stops, you can’t just be talking. If they score a couple of possessions, that’s okay. They’re going to score. You’ve gotta continue to do that even when you go a couple of possessions without getting a stop. We gotta continue to figure things out during the flow of the game,” Reaves said. Meanwhile, head coach JJ Redick had another point to offer.

“We just, we look tired,” Redick said. “And I don’t know what contributes to that. That happens periodically throughout a season where the group gets tired. That’s what it feels like right now. Again, we weren’t able to sustain our level of intensity that we started the game with. And our guys, I thought started out really well.” The Lakers tried to make a comeback late in the game, but a brutal third quarter cost them any real shot at a win.

Luka Doncic’s 32 points were no good against the Magic

The Lakers hit the road for their final extended trip of the season on Monday night, looking to settle the score with the Magic after an early-season buzzer-beater loss. Instead, they ran into familiar problems—defensive lapses, cold shooting, and another second-half collapse that cost them a 118-106 defeat.

L.A. came out strong, with Austin Reaves setting the tone early. Luka Doncic took a bit to get going, but once he did, he erupted for 11 straight points. Meanwhile, Paolo Banchero matched his energy, while Jarred Vanderbilt’s foul trouble piled up in seconds. Despite the chaos, the Lakers held a slim 30-26 lead after the first.

The second quarter saw Orlando swing back with an 18-9 run, forcing a quick Lakers timeout. That settled things enough for Doncic to lead an 11-0 response, helping L.A. stretch the lead to nine before the Magic tightened it to 60-58 at halftime.

Then came the nightmare third quarter. LeBron found his rhythm, but the rest of the Lakers fell apart. Franz Wagner caught fire, Orlando controlled the offensive glass, and L.A.’s defense vanished. Aside from a pair of Doncic threes, the Lakers’ offense went cold, and the Magic ran away with a 34-18 quarter, putting L.A. in a 92-78 hole.

A quick 10-0 Lakers run in the fourth offered hope, but too many costly mistakes killed their comeback. Wagner and Banchero closed the door, leaving L.A. with another frustrating loss and even more unanswered questions.