Five takeaways from the Lakers’ 108-104 loss to the Orlando Magic

1. Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball was on the bench when the fourth quarter started Sunday against the Orlando Magic. He was still there 12 minutes later, at the end of the Lakers’ 108-14 loss.

“I was trying to get Zo back in the game,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said of Ball, who did not play at all during the final quarter. “I thought Zo was playing a very solid game.”

Indeed Ball was solid, but he was not spectacular in his time on the court, finishing with a minus-12 in the plus-minus category.

Ball played 28 minutes, 34 seconds, scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out two assists.

He was four for nine from the field, one for two from three-point range.

2. Lance Stephenson provided the Lakers with a lift off the bench in his 14:38 of playing time.

Stephenson had 13 points on four-for-eight shooting, going four for six from three-point range.

He also had three rebounds and two assists.

And, oh yeah, Stephenson played air guitar after making two of his three-pointers.

3. “We’ve got to get our passing up again,” Walton said.

He said that because the Lakers had just 22 assists.

LeBron James led the Lakers with seven assists and Kyle Kuzma had five.

4. The Lakers had just 18 turnovers, but it was the players who had the majority of them that was so alarming.

James had six turnovers and Brandon Ingram five.

They were two of the Lakers’ primary ball handlers.

Lakers center JaVale McGee comes up with a loose ball during a 108-104 loss to Orlando on Nov. 25.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

5. If one quarter spelled the difference for the Lakers, it had to be the third.

They were outscored 35-19 during that quarter and fell behind by 16 points.

The Lakers shot just 23.8% from the field in the third.

In that quarter, the Lakers never got a handle on Aaron Gordon, who had 11 of his 17 points then, or Nikola Vucevic, who had 10 of his 31 points in the third.