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Dave McMenamin
Multiple Authors
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers fell to the Orlando Magic 110-109 on Tuesday after a failed out-of-bounds play by LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the closing moments resulted in a missed shot.
Following a putback by Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. with 6.7 seconds left that gave Orlando a one-point lead, L.A. called a timeout. On the following possession, James passed to Doncic, who caught the ball on the left wing outside the 3-point line but chose not to shoot.
“I know I was open, but I thought I was a bit too far,” Doncic remarked. “I tried to take one dribble closer, and I probably shouldn’t have picked up the ball and should have just attacked.”
As Doncic halted his dribble, he was quickly double-teamed by the Magic’s Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black. He paused, pivoted, and passed back to James, who was guarded by Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac on the wing.
James received the pass with 2.9 seconds remaining, turned away from Isaac, and took a fading 27-foot 3-point shot that missed as time expired.
“I thought he had a good look, but it seemed like he lost his balance,” James explained regarding the play’s breakdown. “He didn’t have a rhythm with the ball, and that allowed [Orlando’s defense] to recover. I was also a bit off-balance when he passed it to me. I thought it was a solid look from him. That’s my perspective.”
Doncic, who finished with 8-for-24 shooting and 2-for-10 from 3-point range, was asked if his struggles influenced his choice to not shoot initially.
“Maybe a little,” he said. “I thought there was more time. There were six or seven seconds left, which was enough to get a better look, so that’s why I picked [up my dribble].”
Doncic mentioned he did not discuss the play with James post-game.
When asked if he believed James would have a good chance to make the shot when he passed it, Doncic — who registered a season-high 15 assists — acknowledged he thought James did.
“I just saw him open, and I didn’t want to turn it over,” Doncic explained. “We didn’t have timeouts. … [But] I shouldn’t have picked up the ball. I should have attacked. … That’s on me.”
The inbounds play was one of several missed chances that led L.A. to squander a 12-point second-half lead, marking their first loss of the season when leading after three quarters after starting 25-0.
James missed a free throw with 44.7 seconds left that would have given L.A. a three-point lead, whereupon Orlando’s Desmond Bane hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to put the Magic ahead by one.
After Banchero missed a pull-up shot with 10.5 seconds remaining while L.A. was up by one, the Lakers failed to secure the defensive rebound, allowing Carter’s go-ahead putback.
The loss against Orlando dropped the Lakers’ record to 4-4 at the end of their eight-game homestand. They are set to hit the road to face the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, followed by the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” Lakers center Deandre Ayton commented on the home losses. “We still have many opportunities to position ourselves as best as we can. It feels strange to be 4-4 at home. Those were tough losses, especially against strong teams. But … we need to get back into the lab and prepare for the next game.”
