LOS ANGELES — Beating bad teams has not been easy for the Lakers this season.
They already have two stunning losses to Oklahoma City and a triple-overtime setback against Sacramento.
So forgive the uneasiness at Staples Center when the Lakers started out slowly and trailed the hapless Orlando Magic at halftime Sunday.
Then came the third quarter and the end of Orlando’s fun.
LeBron James was a second-half spark in a 106-94 Lakers victory that included a surreal 23-0 run in the third quarter.
James scored 14 of his 30 points in the quarter and stepped up in a big way with the absence of Anthony Davis, who missed a second consecutive game because of soreness in his left knee.
James also had 10 assists and 11 rebounds. He credited two things for his night — a quick trip to Phoenix to see his son, Bronny, play in a high-school game, and the all-important concept of getting enough sleep.
Indeed. Sleep.
He slept from midnight to 8 a.m. Sunday. Then he had a small breakfast and fell back asleep from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“That’s pretty good, right?” James said after Sunday’s game.
Um, yes.
He was also pretty good on the court.
James started his third-quarter blitz with back-to-back three-pointers and then a three-point play the old way — making a free throw after getting fouled on a successful four-foot fadeaway.
He then drilled an 18-footer, scored on a fastbreak dunk and hit a nine-foot turnaround.
He also blocked two shots in the quarter. Actually, he didn’t block them. He obliterated them, sending a pair of Orlando offerings far from where they came.
Oh, and he had three assists in the third quarter, including one to Dwight Howard for a dunk.
The Lakers trailed by three at halftime but led by 23 going into the fourth quarter.
“He was spectacular again. The effort that he’s playing with is inspiring our whole group,” Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said of James.
The Lakers outscored Orlando in the third quarter by the obscene score of 36-10.
Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and Russell Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker each added 19 points. It all added up to two consecutive wins for the Lakers (15-13), a surprising rarity this season.
“That’s who we have to be. That’s Lakers basketball,” Vogel said. “We want to play harder than our opponent. That’s the way it’s been the last couple years. Hasn’t always been there for us this year.”
Now the Lakers hit the road for a challenging three-pack of games at Dallas, Minnesota and Chicago.