The Los Angeles Lakers were inches away from closing their homestand with a win, but a chaotic final minute, capped by a missed game-winner, led to a crushing one-point loss against the Orlando Magic. Afterward, both LeBron James and Luka Doncic addressed the decisive final sequence, offering clarity on a moment that quickly became the focal point of the night.
That failure set the stage for a final possession that raised eyebrows. Doncic came off the designed action with space but hesitated, eventually swinging the ball back to James, whose off-balance three did not fall.
“I thought we had a good opportunity. Luka came off clean,” James said. “I think he felt off balance, but we executed. We didn’t get the shot that we wanted. We did execute it and it doesn’t go down.”
“We executed. Like I said, I’m not sure. Obviously you’ll have to ask Luka what he saw on that. But I thought he had a good look and it felt like he kind of just lost his balance, didn’t have a rhythm with the ball, whatever the case may be. And it kind of allowed them 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.”
Doncic later took responsibility, explaining his own thought process on the play.
“I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far,” Doncic said. “Tried to take one dribble closer. I probably shouldn’t have picked up the ball and just tried to attack,” Doncic said, per Lakers beat writers.
The All-Star guard also acknowledged that his shooting struggles may have factored into the hesitation.
“Maybe a little bit…I thought it was enough time,” Doncic said, according to postgame interviews. “There was six or seven seconds, enough time to get a better look, try to drive the ball, so that’s why I picked [up my dribble].”
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