LeBron James, Luka Doncic Break Down Lakers' Failed Final Play in Videos After Loss to Magic
Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Luka Dončić explained what went wrong on the final play of the game during their 110-109 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
With L.A. trailing by one, the ball was inbounded to Dončić with 6.7 seconds remaining. He seemed to have an open look from three-point range, but picked up his dribble and got double-teamed.
Dončić then passed the ball to James, who had to settle for a tough, turnaround jumper while guarded at the edge of the three-point arc. The shot bounced off the glass and the back of the rim, cementing the victory for Orlando.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Dončić blamed himself for not being more aggressive, saying, "I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far. Tried to take one dribble closer. And I probably shouldn't have picked up the ball and just tried to attack."
Regarding the decision to pass the ball off to James, Dončić added, "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."
James expressed his belief that Dončić had an open look for the win, but he could only speculate on why Luka passed up the shot, telling reporters, "I thought he had a good look, and it looked 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 [Orlando's defense] 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."
When asked if going 8-of-24 from the field and 2-of-10 from beyond the arc on Tuesday may have contributed to his tentativeness on the final shot, Dončić admitted that it may have, saying, "Maybe a little bit. I think I thought it was more time. It was, what, six, seven seconds. It was enough time to get a better look, try to drive the ball, so that's why I picked [up my dribble]."
With the loss, L.A. fell to 34-23 on the season, and it has now dropped two games in a row and four of its past six.
Once firmly in the top six of the Western Conference, the Lakers are now just two games ahead of the seventh-place Phoenix Suns.
That is significant given that the top six seeds advance directly to the playoffs, whereas the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds have to make it through the postseason play-in tournament.
The Lakers feel like a team that could potentially go on a deep playoff run if everything comes together, given the elite talent they boast between Dončić, James and Austin Reaves, but they have struggled to maintain success recently.
Los Angeles will have a golden opportunity to get back on track the next two games, though, when it faces the Suns and the Golden State Warriors on the road on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
The Suns are seventh in the West and the Warriors are eighth, and beating both of them would be a huge statement that the Lakers are a top-six team in the Western Conference and a threat come playoff time.
