Mid Third Quarter

The Lakers are going on a bit of run, but before it could get to out of hand, Stan Van Gundy called a timeout. A very smart coaching decision because the Lakers almost always go on huge third quarter runs to take control of the game. Kobe Bryant has attacked a bit more in the third quarter, but Dwight Howard has still struggled. He got his first dunk of the series on a fast break, but the Lakers have continued to limit his effectiveness. Trevor Ariza has played great for the Lakers, hitting open shots and playing great defense on Turkoglu. Lastly, the Magic have not been able to capitalize on a few fast break opportunities, this has slowed the pace of the game down and this favors LA. Still, Orlando continues to hang around and with their ability to shoot, could steal this game.