{"id":27273,"date":"2026-02-25T15:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/lakers-star-doncic-passes-up-game-winner-team-falls-to-orlando-in-stunning-finish\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T15:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:00:39","slug":"lakers-star-doncic-passes-up-game-winner-team-falls-to-orlando-in-stunning-finish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/lakers-star-doncic-passes-up-game-winner-team-falls-to-orlando-in-stunning-finish\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Star Doncic Passes Up Game-Winner, Team Falls to Orlando in Stunning Finish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 In a shocking turn of events Tuesday night, Dallas superstar Luka Doncic found himself with the basketball and an opportunity to secure victory for the Los Angeles Lakers, but the league’s top scorer chose to pass instead.<\/p>

The decision caught everyone off guard, including LeBron James, who received Doncic’s unexpected pass during the closing seconds of Los Angeles’ 110-109 defeat to the Orlando Magic.<\/p>

“I thought he had a great look, but that’s my POV,” James said.<\/p>

The closing sequence unfolded exactly as head coach JJ Redick had designed: James delivered the inbound pass with 6.7 seconds remaining, while Doncic emerged from behind a screen completely unguarded approximately one step beyond the three-point arc.<\/p>

Despite typically being willing to attempt shots from nearly 30 feet when given such space, Doncic uncharacteristically wavered before pump-faking twice against approaching defenders and ultimately delivering a bounce pass back to a startled James.<\/p>

“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.”<\/p>

James hurriedly attempted a contested three-pointer that missed badly, sealing a 110-109 defeat that concluded a mediocre 4-4 homestand where the team appeared far from championship caliber.<\/p>

Los Angeles understands their championship aspirations depend on Doncic and James delivering in crucial moments, yet both stars faltered in the clutch after the team surrendered a 12-point second-half advantage. This marked the Lakers’ first loss this season after holding a lead entering the fourth quarter.<\/p>

Doncic’s reluctance to shoot surprised observers, particularly his claim that standing just behind the three-point line was too distant for someone who routinely attempts shots from that range.<\/p>

He later acknowledged that his struggles from beyond the arc might have influenced his decision-making. When questioned whether his 2-for-10 three-point shooting performance against Orlando affected his surprising choice, he responded: “Maybe a little bit.”<\/p>

James recognized he had minimal time to react when the ball returned to him, but couldn’t manage a quality attempt while facing perimeter pressure from 6-foot-10 defender Jonathan Isaac.<\/p>

“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.”<\/p>

The duo had collaborated successfully on the preceding play, with Doncic’s baseline inbound finding James for a go-ahead dunk with 26 seconds left. Orlando regained the lead when Wendell Carter Jr. converted a putback layup, leaving Los Angeles with the final possession.<\/p>

Doncic finished 8-of-24 from the field, with his 22 points representing his lowest output in over three months for a game he completed without early departure due to injury. A final-second heroic shot could have overshadowed his struggles, but the opportunity slipped away.<\/p>

“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.”<\/p>

Coach Redick indicated he hadn’t yet discussed the final possession with Doncic, planning to address it during Wednesday’s flight to Phoenix, where the Lakers will meet a Suns squad closely trailing them for sixth place in the Western Conference standings.<\/p>

“We obviously ran a play for him to get a look,” Redick said. “I felt like he had a decent shot.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NBA’s leading scorer Luka Doncic surprisingly passed up an open shot in the final seconds, leading to the Lakers’ 110-109 loss to Orlando. The defeat capped off a disappointing 4-4 homestand for Los Angeles as they continue to struggle with clutch-time execution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772049639066.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-75T","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43998,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/nbas-leading-scorer-doncic-sits-one-game-after-technical-foul-accumulation\/","url_meta":{"origin":27273,"position":0},"title":"NBA’s Leading Scorer Doncic Sits One Game After Technical Foul Accumulation","author":"Admin","date":"March 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic will miss Monday's game against Washington after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season. The automatic suspension costs the league's top scorer approximately $264,000 and stems from an altercation during Friday's win over Brooklyn.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774750926023.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":34317,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/doncic-leads-lakers-past-knicks-110-97-despite-lebrons-absence\/","url_meta":{"origin":27273,"position":1},"title":"Doncic Leads Lakers Past Knicks 110-97 Despite LeBron’s Absence","author":"Admin","date":"March 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Luka Doncic delivered 35 points to guide the Lakers to a complete 110-97 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday. LeBron James missed his second straight game due to a bruised elbow and foot arthritis issues.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773040932787.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39822,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/doncic-drops-60-points-as-lakers-push-mvp-case-after-miami-victory\/","url_meta":{"origin":27273,"position":2},"title":"Doncic Drops 60 Points as Lakers Push MVP Case After Miami Victory","author":"Admin","date":"March 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Luka Doncic exploded for 60 points in the Lakers' 134-126 win over Miami, earning MVP chants from the road crowd. The performance has Lakers coach JJ Redick arguing that Doncic deserves more consideration in this year's MVP race.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773982234106.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773982234106.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773982234106.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773982234106.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37215,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/doncic-nails-game-winner-as-lakers-edge-nuggets-in-overtime-thriller\/","url_meta":{"origin":27273,"position":3},"title":"Doncic Nails Game-Winner as Lakers Edge Nuggets in Overtime Thriller","author":"Admin","date":"March 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Luka Doncic delivered a clutch baseline jumper with half a second remaining to give the Lakers a dramatic 127-125 overtime victory over Denver. The win extended Los Angeles' winning streak to five games and secured the season series against the Nuggets.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773559310336.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":47655,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/lakers-doncic-heads-to-europe-for-hamstring-treatment\/","url_meta":{"origin":27273,"position":4},"title":"Lakers’ Doncic Heads to Europe for Hamstring Treatment","author":"Admin","date":"April 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Lakers superstar Luka Doncic will travel to Europe for specialized treatment of his Grade 2 hamstring injury in hopes of returning sooner than expected. The injury could sideline the league's leading scorer for the entire first round of playoffs.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775453027270.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":43964,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/nba-suspends-lakers-star-doncic-one-game-after-reaching-technical-foul-limit\/","url_meta":{"origin":27273,"position":5},"title":"NBA Suspends Lakers Star Doncic One Game After Reaching Technical Foul Limit","author":"Admin","date":"March 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic will miss Monday's game against Washington after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season. The NBA's leading scorer was penalized following a confrontation with Brooklyn's Ziaire Williams during Friday's victory.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774740978272.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774740978272.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774740978272.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774740978272.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}