Magic Vs Lakers: Botched final play and cultivated trust decided magic vs lakers
magic vs lakers ended as a 110-109 comeback win for the Orlando Magic in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. Desmond Bane’s 3 off a pass from Paolo Banchero with 35. 4 seconds left was a key moment in that finish.
Final play in Magic Vs Lakers
Desmond Bane’s go-ahead 3 forced a Lakers timeout with 34. 6 seconds remaining, and the Lakers ultimately failed to convert on the game’s final possession. A belated pass from Luka Dončić left LeBron James with a desperation turnaround 3-point attempt that missed, sealing the 110-109 result in favor of Orlando.
Banchero’s late impact
Paolo Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft, was central to the sequence. With Orlando trailing by two, Banchero rebounded a missed free throw by LeBron James with 42. 3 seconds left. Banchero finished with 36 points, his most in four weeks and his second-most of the season.
On the ensuing possession Banchero used a screen from center Wendell Carter Jr. and got two feet in the paint. Rather than attempt a contested shot or absorb contact, he hesitated and read the defense. Banchero said, "It was kind of a bang-bang play. Dell came and set the screen, and then it was me and (Deandre) Ayton, one-on-one. I kind of hesitated, which kind of bought me some time to read through my peripheral. And I saw LeBron (James) tag Wendell, because Ayton was in front of me. So I was like, 'Okay, he left. '" He added that he was elated to see Bane left open and "knew that was going in" as soon as Bane rose.
Trust, previous nights and key shooters
The win was framed by a recent stretch in which trust had been tested. The Magic had lost at the buzzer in double overtime to the Phoenix Suns when Jalen Green hit at the buzzer on Saturday night. In the following game, LA Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin had a chance to beat Orlando on a final shot and failed to capitalize. Those sequences are part of the context for Orlando’s finish against the Lakers.
On the play that produced the 3, both corners were filled. Anthony Black was on the weak side and struggling with his shot. Tristan da Silva, who made 3-of-5 3s in the game, was on the strong side and kept the defending Rui Hachimura from straying too far. LeBron sank in, leaving Desmond Bane — a 39 percent 3-point shooter who had missed six of his first seven attempts in the game — open for the go-ahead triple. Bane said, "Paolo creates a problem every time he steps on the floor. Getting guys involved, touching the paint. He drove, the defense collapsed, and he got trust in everybody. " He added, "I stepped into it with confidence and knocked it down. That's how the game goes, you know. You can't make every single shot. Just stay with it, and keep trusting it. " A post reading "BIG TIME BANE" appeared on February 25, 2026 celebrating the shot.
Defensive breakdowns and Mosley’s choice
The Lakers had one more opportunity after Dončić set up Rui Hachimura for a corner 3 that missed, but the Magic failed to rebound the errant shot. On the ensuing baseline out-of-bounds play, Dončić found a cutting LeBron James for a go-ahead dunk after Anthony Black failed to help Jonathan Isaac off a Reaves back screen.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley opted not to use a timeout with 26. 3 seconds left. Mosley preferred the personnel on the floor — a group that included the offensively potent but defensively vulnerable trio of Dončić, James, and Reaves alongside Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, who was in the game instead of starter Marcus Smart — and wanted his team to get the play done live. Mosley said, "Well, you can call the timeout, then they have time to draw their play, " explaining his decision.
Closing summary
The sequence that defined the finish began with Banchero’s rebound at 42. 3 seconds, Bane’s 3 off Banchero’s pass at 35. 4 seconds, the timeout at 34. 6 seconds, and the Lakers’ final miss after a belated Dončić pass. The Magic left Los Angeles with a 110-109 comeback victory.
