The Los Angeles Lakers faced the tenacious Orlando Magic on Tuesday, and even though the Magic were without star forward Franz Wagner, they fought back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter to put the outcome in doubt down the stretch.
Even though the Lakers trailed by eight rebounds, even though they shot 31 percent from 3-point range, and even though Luka Doncic shot 8 of 24 from the field, 2 of 10 from 3-point range, and 4 of 9 free throws, they still had a chance to win the game in the final seconds. Doncic caught an inbounds pass and seemed to have a good look at the 3-pointer at one point, but he passed the ball away. He handed the basketball to LeBron James, who had to attempt a difficult fadeaway three-pointer from the horn, but he missed.
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As a result, Los Angeles lost 110-109. Doncic then commented on what happened in that unfortunate final game between him and James.
“I mean, I just saw him open and I didn’t want to give the ball away. We didn’t have a timeout. … [But] I shouldn’t have caught the ball. I should have attacked. …This is my business. “
It was a completely botched possession for Los Angeles, especially considering the team had 6.7 seconds to shoot and didn’t even need a three-pointer to win the game. The Lakers displayed a lack of rhythm throughout the game, with their overall ball and player movement being clunky and mechanical, a problem they’ve had on and off all season.
They will now begin a quick two-game road trip that begins Thursday against the Phoenix Suns. They’re back in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 34-23 record, two games ahead of the seventh-place Suns.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic on Lakers’ botched final game vs. Magic
