The timer signaling for Anthony Davis to take his ft out of the purple ice bucket stored ringing, however nobody stopped it. Davis, eyes frozen and fixated on the door, didn’t transfer, his fingers folded on his lap, the frustration from the night time filling all of the empty area within the locker room.
The Lakers hadn’t skilled a loss in Los Angeles this season, they usually undoubtedly hadn’t felt one fairly like this.
Franz Wagner hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 3.3 seconds left, giving the Orlando Magic a 119-118 win and ending the Lakers’ undefeated begin at house.
Taking pictures with a two-point lead and 18.9 seconds left, Davis missed a pair of free throws that seemingly would’ve lifted the Lakers to their seventh consecutive win. Afterward, he sat within the locker room in surprised stillness.
“We misplaced the sport,” Davis stated quietly. “I missed three free throws down the stretch. Come down, hit a 3, take the lead. My free throws are crucial, very essential. Missed them.”
It wasn’t simply Davis. The Lakers had their probabilities with the shot that’s the one one simple sufficient to have the phrase “free” in entrance of it. However LeBron James break up on a late journey to the road. Austin Reaves, one of many Lakers’ greatest shooters, missed two earlier in crunch time.
“We missed them. That’s actually it,” Reaves stated.
The Lakers missed six free throws within the fourth quarter, remodeling what may have been a hard-fought win right into a devastating loss.
“I am going to a really darkish place, actually,” Lakers coach JJ Redick stated of the way in which he processes a loss like this. “It’s the basement. I flip the lights out and watch movie from the sport.”
Lakers ahead Anthony Davis and Orlando’s Jalen Suggs, entrance, battle for a rebound within the fourth quarter Thursday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Instances)
The workforce had largely performed effectively in opposition to the Magic, minus a clunky third quarter when a 10-point lead vanished as Orlando’s zone protection stalled the Lakers.
However James’ fourth-quarter magic — he scored 14 of his 31 factors within the remaining interval — appeared like it might be sufficient to assist them overcome. He discovered Davis on a full-court help that gave the Lakers a late three-point lead and put momentum on their aspect.
The misses on the foul line, although, stored the Magic alive, and Wagner, within the midst of a breakout season, hit the largest shot to silence Crypto.com Enviornment. He completed with 37 factors, 11 assists, six rebounds and 4 steals.
“Didn’t love the thought course of and the mindset when Wagner hit the three,” Redick stated.
Davis, who led the Lakers with 39 factors, badly missed a contested shot on the buzzer.
“Any loss is irritating,” Davis stated. “Extra irritating for me as a result of I’m the one who missed the free throws.”
The Lakers host Denver, the workforce that eradicated them the final two postseasons, Saturday night time.
“We had our probabilities. They performed effectively,” James stated. “We performed effectively. I imply, clearly, the largest bucket of the night time, clearly, was Franz. However we put ourselves ready to win the sport and we simply didn’t come via.”
