Botched Final Play, Paolo Banchero’s 36 Lift Magic Vs Lakers in 110-109 Thriller
The Orlando Magic beat the Los Angeles Lakers 110-109 after a broken inbounds play in the final seconds, a result that matters because it ended Los Angeles’ streak of wins when leading after three quarters and underscored Orlando’s recent climb in late-game trust. The Magic’s Paolo Banchero poured in 36 points and Desmond Bane buried the decisive 3 in the closing minute.
Magic Vs Lakers: final sequence and the missed opportunity
With 6. 7 seconds remaining, Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr. converted a putback to give the Magic a one-point lead and L. A. called timeout. On the ensuing sidelines out-of-bounds set, LeBron James inbounded to Luka Dončić on the left wing beyond the 3-point arc. Dončić chose not to shoot, saying he felt slightly long and tried to take a dribble closer; after he picked up his dribble he was immediately doubled by Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black, pivoted and passed back to James. James caught the ball with 2. 9 seconds left, turned away from Jonathan Isaac and launched a 27-foot fadeaway 3 that missed at the buzzer.
Paolo Banchero’s 36 points and the go-ahead sequence
Banchero finished with 36 points, his most in four weeks and his second-highest total of the season. He rebounded a missed free throw by James with 42. 3 seconds left when Orlando trailed by two, then used a screen from Carter to get two feet into the paint. Instead of forcing a shot, Banchero hesitated, read the defense and found Desmond Bane trailing to the perimeter. Banchero said that the path opened when LeBron tagged Carter and Ayton was fronting, and he immediately turned the ball over to Bane.
Desmond Bane’s clutch 3 and the timing details
Desmond Bane, a 39 percent 3-point shooter who had missed six of his first seven tries that night, connected on a corner 3 off Banchero’s pass that proved decisive. That 3 came with the clock in the mid-30s of the fourth quarter—35. 4 seconds in one account of the play—and it forced a Lakers timeout with 34. 6 seconds left. Bane said he stepped into the shot with confidence and knocked it down, pushing Orlando ahead in the game’s final minute.
Luka Dončić’s night and the turnover of late decisions
Dončić finished 8-for-24 from the field and 2-for-10 from 3, but he also recorded a season-high 15 assists. He acknowledged the decision to pass on the initial inbounds 3 and said he probably should have attacked instead of picking up the dribble; he did not speak with James after the game. Earlier in the closing sequence Dončić had set up Rui Hachimura for a corner 3 that missed badly and the Magic failed to secure the rebound. On the baseline out-of-bounds play that followed, Dončić found a cutting James for a go-ahead dunk after Black failed to help Jonathan Isaac off a Reeves back screen.
Wendell Carter Jr., Anthony Black and Jamahl Mosley’s choice at 26. 3 seconds
Carter’s putback with 6. 7 seconds and his screen on Banchero were pivotal moments in the final minute. Anthony Black, who had struggled with his shot earlier and was on the weak side during the go-ahead possession, was involved both defensively and in rotation breakdowns. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley declined to call a timeout with 26. 3 seconds remaining; he preferred the personnel on the floor—Dončić, James and Reeves paired with Deandre Ayton and Hachimura, who was playing in place of starter Marcus Smart—and opted to let the sequence play out live.
Momentum, homestand impact and immediate aftermath
The Lakers squandered a 12-point second-half lead and suffered their first loss this season when leading after three quarters after being 25-0 in such situations. James had missed a free throw with 44. 7 seconds left that would have extended the lead to three, and on the very next possession Orlando’s Bane hit a 3 to take a one-point lead. After Banchero missed a pull-up with 10. 5 seconds remaining while L. A. led by one, the Lakers failed to secure the defensive rebound, allowing Carter’s go-ahead putback. The defeat dropped the Lakers to 4-4 over their eight-game homestand; they are scheduled to play the Phoenix Suns on Thursday and the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Lakers center Deandre Ayton called the homestand’s results upsetting and said the team would return to work to prepare for the next game.
The result also reinforced a broader narrative inside Orlando: trust that has been cultivated over months stood up in a pressure finish. That trust had been tested by a double-overtime buzzer loss to the Phoenix Suns when Jalen Green made a late winner on Saturday and a near-miss against the Clippers when Bennedict Mathurin failed to beat the Magic on a final shot in the intervening game, yet the Magic executed in the clutch on Tuesday.
