The Orlando Magic snapped the Los Angeles Lakers’ six-game winning streak with a dramatic victory at Crypto.com Arena. The loss also marked the Lakers’ first home defeat of the NBA season. After the game, LeBron James pointed out what he believed was the real cause of the stunning setback.
The game was decided in the final seconds when Franz Wagner hit a clutch three-pointer to give Orlando the lead. However, missed free throws loomed large for the Lakers, with Anthony Davis missing three and LeBron missing one late in the fourth quarter—opportunities that could have sealed the game for Los Angeles.
James, however, downplayed the free throws as the main issue and instead called attention to the team’s poor performance in the third quarter. “Because it’s a 48-minute game, you can’t just point to the free throws,” James said via Dave McMenamin. “You want to try to close out the game. We had our chances, we miss them, and you move on.”
“What we did in the third quarter, we were outscored 29-21. We came out, lost the lead, had a seven-point lead at halftime, and they took the lead in the third,” James continued. “There are a lot of games within the game. You can’t just point to one thing. You have your opportunity at the free-throw line. We didn’t capitalize, but we move on from that.”
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena against the Orlando Magic. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Anthony Davis takes responsibility
After the game, Davis acknowledged his role in the loss, taking ownership of the missed free throws that could have changed the outcome. “We lost the game,” Davis said. “I missed three free throws down the stretch. Come down, hit a three, take the lead. So my free throws are very important, very crucial. Missed them.”
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Davis also admitted that this defeat felt particularly frustrating.
“Any loss is frustrating. More frustrating for me,” Davis added. “I’m the one who missed the free throws, so any loss is frustrating.”
LeBron James on Franz Wagner’s heroics
While the Lakers missed several chances to close out the game, James gave credit to the Magic for their strong performance, especially Wagner’s game-winning shot.
“I mean, we had our chances, but they played well,” James said. “We played well. I mean, obviously the biggest bucket of the night, obviously from Franz [Wagner], but, I mean, we put ourselves in a position to win the game. We just didn’t come through for it.”
James also praised Wagner’s clutch shot despite solid defense from Cam Reddish. “I mean, but it’s you tip your hat,” LeBron said. “I mean, Cam [Reddish] played great defense on his shot. A stepback 3 from way beyond the 3-point line. You tip your hat on that.”
