The Lakers had his chances with the shot which is the only one easy enough to have the word “free” in front of it.
But in the final minutes of their first home loss of the season, a 119-118 collapse against the Orlando Magic, the unguarded 15-footer was the biggest obstacle.
Anthony Davis missed three clutch free throws, including a pair with 18.9 seconds left, earlier Franz Wagner hit a game-winning three-pointer to snap the Lakers’ six-game winning streak.
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The Lakers missed all but two of their final eight free throws, a stretch that included Austin Reaves missing a couple and LeBron James separation Davis made just one of four attempts in the final 27 seconds — and his game-winning 18-footer at the buzzer wasn’t close.
The collapse came after the Lakers survived a sleepy third quarter thanks to fourth-quarter magic from James, who scored 14 of his 31 in the final period.
Davis led the Lakers with 39.
“Every loss is frustrating,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said
The Lakers host Denver on Saturday night.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
