The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a narrow 110-109 defeat against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, a loss particularly highlighted by a critical botched sidelines out-of-bounds play involving LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the final seconds. The Magic took a one-point lead after Wendell Carter Jr. scored on a putback with just 6.7 seconds remaining, prompting an L.A. timeout to strategize a winning shot.

On the ensuing play, James inbounded the ball to an open Doncic on the left wing beyond the 3-point line. However, Doncic hesitated to shoot, stating, "I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far. Tried to take one dribble closer. And I probably shouldn't have picked up the ball and just tried to attack." His decision to stop his dribble led to an immediate double-team by Orlando's Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black. Doncic then pivoted and passed the ball back to James, who was covered by Jonathan Isaac.

James received the pass with 2.9 seconds left and, off-balance, took a contested 27-foot fadeaway 3-pointer that ultimately missed at the buzzer. Reflecting on the play, James commented, "I thought he had a good look, and it looked like he kind of just lost his balance. 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."

Doncic, who struggled with his shooting throughout the game, going 8-for-24 overall and 2-for-10 from beyond the arc, admitted his shooting performance might have influenced his decision not to take the initial shot. "Maybe a little bit," he said, adding, "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]." Despite recording a season-high 15 assists, Doncic took responsibility for the play, stating, "I shouldn't have picked up the ball. I should have attacked. ... That's on me."

The failed final play was one of several missed opportunities for the Lakers, who blew a 12-point second-half lead. This defeat marked their first loss all season when leading after three quarters, having previously held a perfect 25-0 record in such situations. Other critical errors included James missing a free throw with 44.7 seconds left that would have extended L.A.'s lead to three, followed by Orlando's Desmond Bane hitting a 3-pointer to put the Magic ahead. Furthermore, after Banchero missed a pull-up shot, the Lakers failed to secure a crucial defensive rebound, leading directly to Carter Jr.'s go-ahead putback.

The loss dropped the Lakers' record to 4-4 during their eight-game homestand. Center Deandre Ayton expressed disappointment, noting, "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." The Lakers are now set to hit the road, facing the Phoenix Suns on Thursday and the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.