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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.
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“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.”
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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.”
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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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/luka-hesitates-lebron-misses-last-075802815.html
Author : GREG BEACHAM
Publish date : 2026-02-25 07:58:00
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