The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Orlando Magic at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.

The Magic (29-43) come into this matchup losing five of their last seven games. That has ended any playoff hopes this young group may have had, sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference. It's hard to believe that this talented group has such a poor record because they've looked great at times this year. The development of Markelle Fultz has been the biggest asset because the former number-one pick has had a revival season in Orlando. That pairs beautifully with youngsters like Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr and Franz Wagner, making this team a threat in years to come. Adding one more talented youngster to the mix could be the thing to throw them into playoff contention next year because the pieces are in play for them to compete.

The Lakers (34-37) suffered a really tough loss on Friday. They trailed for most of their game against the Dallas Mavericks but made a fourth quarter push to grab what looked like a win. They led by four points with less than 10 seconds remaining, but a silly foul and then a game-winning three handed them an ugly defeat. It's a loss this team couldn't afford either because Los Angeles is battling numerous other teams for the final play-in spots in the Western Conference. That defeat moved the Lakers to 10th in the west, only 0.5 games up on the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans behind them. That's frustrating because LeBron James continues to miss games, and this club is running out of time to solidify its spot in the postseason.

These teams played back on December 27, with Los Angeles prevailing, 129-110. That gives the Lakers five straight wins in this series.