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Magic Johnson impressed by Los Angeles Lakers 2OT win over Chicago Bulls

By Phil Watson

Jul 29, 2014; El Segundo, CA, USA; Byron Scott (left) is embraced by Magic Johnson at a press conference to introduce Scott as Los Angeles Lakers coach at Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 29, 2014; El Segundo, CA, USA; Byron Scott (left) is embraced by Magic Johnson at a press conference to introduce Scott as Los Angeles Lakers coach at Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Magic Johnson made headlines last month when he said he wanted his beloved Los Angeles Lakers to “lose every game.” But he liked what he saw Thursday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a nine-game losing streak Thursday night, holding off the Chicago Bulls 123-118 in double overtime after blowing a nine-point lead in the final 1:10 of regulation.

The win impressed at least one high-profile former Laker, Magic Johnson:

It was L.A.’s first win since a 101-84 victory over the Orlando Magic on Jan. 9. A 10th straight loss would have tied a franchise record set in 1994—a team coached by Johnson.

The Lakers had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Jordan Hill’s hook shot rimmed out. Hill hit a 20-footer to tie the game with 16 seconds left in the first overtime period.

The Lakers rolled out a starting lineup Thursday night that most fans couldn’t recognize with a media guide—Ryan Kelly and Hill at the forwards, Robert Sacre at center and Jordan Clarkson and Wayne Ellington at the guard spots.

Higher-profile players such as Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin are coming off the bench for Byron Scott’s club, which improved (and we use that word lightly) to 13-34 on the season—14th out of the 15 teams in the Western Conference and the fourth-worst record in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant, of course, is out for the season, but the Lakers weren’t exactly lighting the world on fire when he was in the lineup.

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The superstar who appears to have completed the transition from “aging” to simply “aged” played in 35 games this season, in which the Lakers were 10-25.

It was Hill who shouldered a big load for the Lakers on Thursday, scoring 26 points to go with 12 rebounds. Ellington added 23 points, Clarkson had 18 and Boozer came off the bench for 16 points in 28 minutes.

Still, there are some long-term concerns about a Lakers team with Scott at the helm, considering his offense looks at time as if it was originally sketched out on a chalkboard by 98-year-old John Kundla, the Hall of Fame coach who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five NBA titles from 1949-54.

Specifically, Scott is no fan of the 3-point shot, despite advanced metrics and two functioning eyeballs that should tell him that it’s a pretty effective weapon in today’s NBA.

Los Angeles attempts 19.1 3-pointers a game—tied for 22nd in the NBA—and make 34.6 percent of them, 17th in the league.

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