Lakers’ late miscue between James and Doncic seals 110-109 loss to Magic
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The Los Angeles Lakers squandered a 12-point second-half lead and fell to the Orlando Magic 110-109 on Tuesday night in Los Angeles after a broken sideline inbounds play between LeBron James and Luka Doncic failed in the closing seconds.
Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. put back a miss with 6.7 seconds remaining, pushing the Magic ahead by one. Following a Lakers timeout, James inbounded to an unguarded Doncic on the left wing beyond the three-point arc. The guard hesitated, took a dribble and then picked up the ball, immediately drawing a double-team from Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black.
Doncic pivoted and returned the ball to James, who was covered by Jonathan Isaac. With 2.9 seconds left, James launched a 27-foot fadeaway that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
“I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far,” Doncic said. “I shouldn’t have picked up the ball. That’s on me.” The All-Star finished 8-for-24 from the field and 2-for-10 from deep but handed out a season-high 15 assists.
James, asked what went wrong, said, “I thought he had a good look. He kind of lost his balance. When he gave it back, I was off-balance, too.”
The last-second breakdown capped several missed opportunities for Los Angeles. James missed a free throw with 44.7 seconds left that could have stretched the lead to three. On the ensuing possession, Desmond Bane drilled a three to put Orlando in front 107-106. After a brief Lakers rally reclaimed the lead, Los Angeles failed to secure a defensive rebound on Banchero’s miss, setting up Carter’s decisive tip-in.
The defeat ended the Lakers’ perfect 25-0 mark this season when leading after three quarters and left them 4-4 on their eight-game homestand. They visit the Phoenix Suns on Thursday and the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
“It’s a bit upsetting,” center Deandre Ayton said. “We just have to get back in the lab and get ready for the next game.”
Source: ESPN
