Luka hesitates, LeBron misses as Lakers botch final play in loss

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Luka Doncic had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, the Slovenian scoring machine passed.

That’s not what anybody around the Lakers wanted or expected from the NBA’s leading scorer — not even LeBron James, the recipient of Doncic’s pass on the final possession of the Lakers’ 110-109 loss to Orlando.

“I thought he had a great look, but that’s my POV,” James said.

The final play worked the way coach JJ Redick drew it up: James inbounded the ball with 6.7 seconds left, and Doncic came off a screen to emerge wide open about one stride behind the 3-point line.

Doncic rarely hesitates to shoot from inside 30 feet when he’s as open as he was — but this time, he inexplicably hesitated before double-pumping into defensive coverage and finally bounce-passing the ball back to a surprised James.

“I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far,” Doncic said. “Tried to take one dribble to get a little closer. Probably shouldn’t have picked up the ball, just tried to attack.”

James desperately launched a fallaway 3-point attempt that got nowhere close, and the Lakers were stuck with a 110-109 loss to end a 4-4 homestand on which they looked nothing like an NBA title contender.

The Lakers know they won’t get far if Doncic and James can’t command big moments, and they both came up short in the clutch after Los Angeles blew a 12-point lead in the second half. The Lakers lost for the first time this season when leading after three quarters.

Doncic’s hesitance to shoot was a stunner, as was his suggestion that being a step behind the 3-point line is too far for a shooter who regularly shoots from there.

Later, he admitted that it might have had something to do with his 2-for-10 performance from the 3-point line against the Magic. When asked if his lack of rhythm from distance contributed to his surprising decision, he said: “Maybe a little bit.”

James knew he had no time to think when the ball came back to him, but he couldn’t get off a good shot under perimeter defensive pressure from 6-foot-10 Jonathan Isaac.

“Obviously you’ll have to ask Luka what he saw on that,” James said. “I thought he had a good look, and it looked like he kind of just lost his balance. Didn’t have the rhythm of the ball, whatever the case may be, and it kind of allowed them to get back in front of him. I was kind of off balance when he gave it to me.”

James and Doncic had connected on the previous possession, with Doncic’s baseline inbounds pass finding James for a go-ahead dunk with 26 seconds to play. Orlando reclaimed the lead when Wendell Carter Jr. scored on a putback layup, putting the ball in Los Angeles’ hands to decide it.

Doncic went 8 for 24, and his 22 points were his lowest-scoring performance in more than three months in a game he didn’t leave early due to injury. He could have erased it all with a final flourish, but he didn’t have it.

“I didn’t want to lose the ball, and we didn’t have timeouts,” Doncic said. “But like I said, shouldn’t have picked up the ball. I should attack. That’s on me.”

Redick said he hadn’t had a chance to discuss the final play yet with Doncic. He’ll have time Wednesday on the flight to Phoenix, where the Lakers will face a Suns team that’s right on their tails for sixth place in the Western Conference.

“We obviously ran a play for him to get a look,” Redick said. “I felt like he had a decent shot.”

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