The Lakers found themselves facing a familiar test on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena against a young, physical and big Magic squad – the type of team that’s given them troubles before.
And the Lakers were overpowered, leading to their 110-109 loss after Wendell Carter Jr.’s game-winning putback layup with seven seconds left.
The Lakers had a chance to win, but Luka Doncic passed up a deep 3-point attempt before passing the ball to LeBron James, who missed an errant 3 before the game’s final buzzer.
Doncic finished with 22 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds for a near triple-double, but shot 8 of 24 from the field.
Deandre Ayton had his first 20-point game in nearly a month, finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
LeBron James added 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Austin Reaves had 18 points (6-of-16 shooting) after a slow start.
What it means
The Lakers fell to 34-23 on the season.
They dropped down to the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings, with the Timberwolves (36-23) moving ahead of them.
Turning point
When LeBron James missed a free throw with 45 seconds left.
The Lakers were leading 107-105 with a chance to go up by three, but after James missed, Desmond Bane made a 3-pointer to put the Magic up 108-107 with 35 seconds left.
James dunked to give the Lakers a 109-108 lead before Carter’s game-winner.
MVP: Paolo Banchero
The fourth-year forward led the Magic with 36 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
He went 10 of 11 on free throws, overpowering the Lakers on the interior.
The Magic scored 58 points in the paint and had 15 second-chance points.
Stat of the game: eight
That’s how many missed free throws the Lakers had against the Magic.
Doncic was the biggest culprit of the free-throwing shooting woes, going 4 of 9 from the free throw line.
Up next
The Lakers will head on the road for the first time in three weeks now that their extended homestand that started with the Feb. 5 win over the 76ers is over.
The Lakers will play the Suns in Phoenix on Thursday before playing the Warriors in San Franciso on Saturday.
