LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were stunned Thursday night in Hollywood, as they absorbed a 119-118 loss to the visiting Orlando Magic. Los Angeles looked as though it was going to win its sixth game in a row, the Orlando forward Franz Wagner had other things in mind, as he drained a game-winning 3-point in the clutch to bury the Lakers.
Things could have turned out differently for Los Angeles if it did a better job doing its job on the free throw line, particularly in the fourth quarter, where the Lakers went just 3-for-9 from the foul line. Anthony Davis crucially missed two free throws with under 20 seconds remaining in regulation and just before Wagner hit the go-ahead triple.
LeBron James speaks up after LA’s loss to Orlando
After the game, James said that the Lakers’ loss can’t just be entirely blamed on their free-throw shooting. For the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Los Angeles’ unimpressive effort in the third quarter hurt his team just as much as the missed freebies in the final period.
LeBron James pointed to the Lakers’ lackluster 3rd Q effort as being as damning to their chances as their missed free throws in the 4th pic.twitter.com/VVZw4p3fqT
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 22, 2024
The loss to the Magic wasted the huge scoring performances of James and Davis, who led Los Angeles with 39 points on 14-for-22 shooting from the field. James, on the other hand, added 31 points on 12-for-22 shooting from the floor to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Despite the loss, Los Angeles is still looking formidable with a 10-5 record. The Lakers will next fave the Denver Nuggets at home on Saturday.
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