Magic Vs Lakers: Botched final play between Luka, LeBron dooms Lakers in magic vs lakers loss
LOS ANGELES — The Orlando Magic beat the Los Angeles Lakers 110-109 on Tuesday after a botched sidelines out-of-bounds play between LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the final seconds failed to produce a quality shot. The closing sequence began after Wendell Carter Jr. scored on a putback with 6. 7 seconds remaining to put Orlando ahead by one.
Magic Vs Lakers final sequence
After Carter’s putback with 6. 7 seconds left, L. A. called timeout. On the ensuing inbounds play James passed to an open Doncic, who caught the ball on the left wing beyond the 3-point line and opted not to shoot. Doncic said, “I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far. Tried to take one dribble closer. And I probably shouldn't have picked up the ball and just tried to attack. ”
Doncic, LeBron and the inbounds play
Once Doncic stopped his dribble he was double-teamed by Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black. He paused, pivoted and passed back to James, who was being defended by Jonathan Isaac on the wing. James caught the pass with 2. 9 seconds left, turned away from Isaac and launched a 27-foot fadeaway 3-pointer that missed at the buzzer.
What the players said
James offered his view of what broke down: “I thought he had a good look, and it looked like he kind of just lost his balance. Didn't have a rhythm with the ball, whatever the case may be. And it kind of allowed [Orlando's defense] to get back in front of him. And I was kind of off-balance when he gave it to me. I thought he had a great look. That's my POV. ”
Doncic, who finished with a season-high 15 assists, acknowledged his choices on the play and his shooting struggles. He was 8-for-24 for the game and 2-for-10 from 3. Asked if his shooting struggles entered his mind when he turned down the initial shot, he said, “Maybe a little bit. I think I thought it was more time. It was, what, six, seven seconds. It was enough time to get a better look, try to drive the ball, so that's why I picked [up my dribble]. ” He added he did not speak to James about the play after the game and said, “I mean, I just saw him open, and I didn't want to lose the ball. We didn't have timeouts.... [But] I shouldn't have picked up the ball. I should have attacked.... That's on me. ”
Late-game swings and missed chances
The inbounds play was one of several late missed opportunities. James missed a free throw with 44. 7 seconds left that would have put L. A. up by 3, and Desmond Bane hit a 3 on the next possession to give Orlando a one-point lead. Later, Banchero missed a pull-up with 10. 5 seconds remaining while L. A. was up by one; the Lakers failed to secure the defensive rebound, leading directly to Carter’s go-ahead putback.
Scoring and reactions
Paolo Banchero poured in 36 points in the game. The loss also ended a long streak: L. A. had been 25-0 this season when leading after three quarters, and this was the first time they lost under that circumstance after blowing a 12-point second-half lead. The defeat dropped the Lakers to 4-4 over their eight-game homestand.
Lakers center Deandre Ayton called the result “a bit upsetting. ” He added, “We still got a lot of chances to just get in as good of a position as we can. Did feel weird in the homestand, just being 4-4. It was tough losses and played against some really good teams. But... just get back in the lab and just get ready for the next game. ”
Fit questions and next stops
The botched final play between Doncic and James has prompted debate about chemistry; commentator Colin Cowherd asked if the two superstars are a bad fit together. The Lakers will head on the road to play the Phoenix Suns on Thursday followed by the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Tuesday’s one-point defeat left little margin for error and hinged on a 6. 7-second putback, a decision by Doncic on the left wing, a 2. 9-second return pass to James and a 27-foot fadeaway that did not fall.
Closing the loss, players and observers alike pointed to the inbounds execution and a string of late missed opportunities as the difference in a 110-109 finish.
