Basketball fans have grown accustomed to Luka Doncic being an absolute machine in the clutch. It’s what made the last play of the Los Angeles Lakers’ nail-biting 110-109 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday so bewildering. To many, it looked like Luka completely passed up an easy shot.
Lakers crumble on the final play of the game… Magic win!
Luka had a WIDE OPEN look 😳 pic.twitter.com/O4uxlufhKo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 25, 2026
Instead of taking the potential game-winning 3-pointer on the inbound, Doncic held up the ball and passed it up to LeBron James instead. LeBron was forced into a tough, off-balance turnaround from beyond the arc to try and do what Luka couldn’t. He missed.
Fans, reporters, and everyone alike were bound to have plenty of questions about what they witnessed as soon as it happened. James was asked by the media to offer insight after the game was over. The Lakers star sounded as confused as everyone who was not on the court.
“We executed,” James said. “… You have to ask Luka what he saw on that, but 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. … I thought he had a great look, but that’s my POV.”
Luka Doncic’s mishap might be a symptom of the bigger issues in Los Angeles
So, what did Doncic see? The Lakers superstar tried to offer an explanation. It gave everyone a little more clarity, but ultimately did not really suffice either.
The hesitation on the open look was explained by Doncic being just a little too far. The supstar point guard tried to take one dribble and attack, but defenders swarmed around him all too quickly. That led to the debacle that everyone witnessed.
Perhaps the uneven shooting night had a little bit to do with it. Doncic finished the game hitting 8-of-24 from the field and 2-of-10 from deep. The confidence might not have been there like it normally would amid an inefficient scoring night.
It just felt so off-putting for a team that has dominated in the clutch throughout the regular season.
The failed result might come down to a bigger picture issue for the Lakers. Now that Los Angeles is mostly healthy — Jaxson Hayes dealing with an ankle sprain aside — the stars in the city are finally getting proper run with each other. As was witnessed on Tuesday, the chemistry is still a work in progress.
Any loss in the competitive Western Conference playoff picture is a tough one. The Lakers slipped down to sixth with their second defeat in a row. They are now just two games up from a play-in spot, which makes the blunder on the final play sting all the more.
Playing the Phoenix Suns, who currently sit in seventh, during their next matchup will afford the Lakers very little alleviation of the pressure to get back in the win column. They are going to be forced to learn from this moment very quickly.