The Los Angeles Lakers entered Tuesday night’s home game 25-0 this season when leading after three quarters. They needed just 6.7 seconds of competent basketball to extend it against the Orlando Magic, but then a late-game disaster occurred.
Luka Dončić caught the inbound pass on the left wing, open beyond the 3-point line with 6.7 seconds left. He had an open shot, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he took one dribble and picked up the ball, which immediately drew a double-team from Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black. Trapped, Doncic passed to LeBron James, who was covered by Jonathan Isaac on the wing. James caught it with 2.9 seconds remaining, turned, and launched a 27-foot fadeaway that bounced off the rim at the buzzer as LA lost 110-109.
Luka Dončić Takes Accountability After Lakers’ Loss to Magic
After the game, Dončić took the blame for the botched final play.
“I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far,” Dončić said. “Tried to take one dribble closer. And I probably shouldn’t have picked up the ball and just tried to attack.”
Dončić shot 8-for-24 from the field and 2-for-10 from 3 on the night. When asked if his shooting struggles factored into the hesitation, he didn’t dodge it: “Maybe a little bit. I think I thought it was more time. It was, what, six, seven seconds. It was enough time to get a better look, try to drive the ball, so that’s why I picked [up my dribble].”
The Lakers lost to the Magic after a botched final play by Luka Doncic and LeBron Jamespic.twitter.com/eSWYJms3KV
— BasketballMuse (@basketballmuse0) February 25, 2026
“I mean, I just saw him open, and I didn’t want to lose the ball. We didn’t have timeouts. … I shouldn’t have picked up the ball,” he added. “I should have attacked. … That’s on me.”
James publicly supported his backcourt partner.
“I thought he had a good look, and it looked like he kind of just lost his balance,” James said. “Didn’t have a rhythm with the ball, whatever the case may be. And it kind of allowed [Orlando’s defense] to get back in front of him. And I was kind of off-balance when he gave it to me. I thought he had a great look. That’s my POV.”
Dončić agreed he had a good look and should have taken it. The stars were aligned postgame, but the possession itself went another way entirely.
The botched final play was the loudest failure of the night, but it didn’t arrive alone. James missed a free throw with 44.7 seconds remaining that would have put Los Angeles up three. Desmond Bane hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to flip the lead to Orlando by one. Then, Wendell Carter Jr. scored on a putback with 6.7 seconds left after the Lakers surrendered an offensive rebound they couldn’t afford. The whole sequence collapsed on itself.
It capped a 4-4 homestand for a Lakers team that has 25 wins in games they lead heading into the fourth quarter and exactly one loss in those situations now. They leave at 34-23, heading into a road trip that starts Thursday in Phoenix and continues Saturday in Golden State.
What Did NBA Commentators Say After Botched Play?
“Lakers crumble on the final play of the game… Magic win!” Bleacher Report posted on X. “Luka had a WIDE OPEN look 😳”
Many people were surprised that Luka didn’t take the open shot.
“I never seen Luka hesitant like this in my life,” said one NBA influencer.
“we all thought Luka was gonna shoot that,” said another NBA influencer.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst went on “First Take” and wondered if James is the problem for Los Angeles.
“When Luka, LeBron, and Austin Reaves play together, they’re just not a good team…” Windhorst said this morning. “When it’s just Reaves and Luka, the Lakers are an excellent team.”
“When Luka, LeBron, and Austin Reaves play together, they’re just not a good team… When it’s just Reaves and Luka, the Lakers are an excellent team.” 👀
– @WindhorstESPN on the Lakers
(🎥 @FirstTake / h/t @NBA__Courtside )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 25, 2026
Lakers center Deandre Ayton framed the struggles without sugarcoating: “It’s a bit upsetting. We still got a lot of chances to just get in as good of a position as we can. Did feel weird in the homestand, just being 4-4. It was tough losses and played against some really good teams. But … just get back in the lab and just get ready for the next game.”
Dončić finished with a season-high 15 assists despite the 8-for-24 shooting night. He was brilliant as a distributor and catastrophic as the final decision-maker. Unfortunately for the Lakers, there’s not a lot of margin for error right now.
