The Los Angeles Lakers squared off against a surprisingly resilient Orlando Magic team on Tuesday. Despite missing their star forward Franz Wagner, the Magic clawed back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter, making it a nail-biter right up to the final buzzer.
The Lakers, despite being outrebounded by eight and shooting just 31% from beyond the arc, found themselves with a shot at victory in the dying seconds. Luka Doncic, who struggled with his shooting touch, hitting only 8-of-24 from the field and 2-of-10 from deep, had a crucial decision to make.
With the clock ticking down, Doncic received the inbounds pass and briefly had a chance at a three-pointer but opted to pass to LeBron James. LeBron, under pressure, attempted a challenging fallaway three as time expired, but it didn’t find the net.
The Lakers fell 110-109, a tough loss that highlighted some of their ongoing issues. Doncic reflected on the final play, acknowledging his hesitation.
"I mean, I just saw him open and I didn’t want to lose the ball. We didn’t have timeouts.
… [But] I shouldn’t have picked up the ball. I should have attacked.
… That’s on me."
With 6.7 seconds left, L.A. didn’t need a three to seal the win, but their execution faltered. The team’s pace and movement were sluggish, a recurring theme this season that reared its head again.
Now, the Lakers are gearing up for a quick two-game road trip starting Thursday against the Phoenix Suns. Sitting at 34-23, they’ve slipped to sixth in the Western Conference, holding a two-game edge over the seventh-place Suns. It’s crunch time for L.A., and they’ll need to iron out these wrinkles to maintain their playoff push.