The Los Angeles Lakers watched a winnable game slip away Tuesday night, falling 110-109 to the Orlando Magic after a final possession that unraveled in seconds. With 6. 7 seconds left, Luka Doncic caught the inbounds pass from LeBron James and stood open beyond the three-point line. Instead of rising for the shot, he hesitated. It was very unlikely.
The loss capped a blown 12-point second-half lead and marked the team’s first defeat this season when leading after three quarters. It also dropped Los Angeles to 4-4 on its eight-game homestand.
LeBron James reacts to finishing Luka Doncic’s move in Lakers’ defeat to Magic
Following the loss, LeBron James described the moment from his angle. “Obviously, you have to ask Luka what he saw on that,” James said. “I thought he had a good look. I was kinda off-balance when he gave it to me, I thought he had a great look.”
As the defense recovered, Doncic picked up his dribble and faced a quick double team. He sent the ball back to James with under three seconds remaining. Guarded closely, James launched a 27-foot fadeaway that missed.
“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,” James added.
Coach JJ Redick also commented on the move, “We obviously ran a play for him to get a look,” he said. “I felt like he had a decent shot.”
Luka Doncic owns up to his mistake after the game
Doncic made a candid admission following the defeat and took full accountability. “I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far,” Doncic said. “Tried to take one dribble closer. And I probably shouldn’t have picked up the ball and just tried to attack.”
He finished 8-of-24 from the field and 2-of-10 from deep. When asked whether his earlier misses influenced him, he replied, “Maybe a little bit.”
The Slovenian guard went further. “I mean, I just saw him open, and I didn’t want to lose the ball,” Doncic said. “We didn’t have timeouts. … [But] I shouldn’t have picked up the ball. I should have attacked. … That’s on me.”
Orlando capitalized behind 36 points from Paolo Banchero and a late putback by Wendell Carter Jr. The Lakers now turn toward road games against the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
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