The Los Angeles Lakers’ undefeated home record this season has come to an end after they were beaten by the Orlando Magic 119-118 on Thursday night. The Lakers led by four with 27 seconds left to go, but untimely free throw misses from LeBron James and Anthony Davis gave Magic forward Franz Wagner the chance to make the game winning three, which he did.
With about 39 seconds left in the fourth, James missed one of his two free throws before Davis would do the same just 12 seconds later. After Wagner finished a layup to cut the Lakers’ lead to two, Davis was fouled and missed both of his free throw attempts.
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Surely enough, with 3 seconds left to play, Wagner sank a 27-foot three and gave Orlando the one-point lead.
The game was highly competitive from start to finish, with both teams playing strong defense and taking good shots on offense. The physical contest was eventually defined by missed opportunities at the line, despite the Lakers’ strong performance.
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For L.A., Davis finished with 39 points and nine rebounds while James put up 31 points, ten rebounds and seven assists. Orlando played without their star Paulo Banchero, which was seemingly no problem as Wagner had 37 points, 11 assists and five rebounds.
The Magic will host the Detroit Pistons on Friday and the Lakers will host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
