The Los Angeles Lakers saw their six-game win streak snapped by the Orlando Magic in a 118-119 loss at the Crypto.com Arena, their first home loss of the season. The Lakers had the win in the bag with a lead late in the fourth quarter before Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis went 2-7 from the free-throw line, leaving the window open for Franz Wagner to steal the win with a 15-point fourth quarter.
Wagner had 37 points (13-26 FG) and 11 assists on the night and will be given the bulk of the credit for this incredible win for the Magic. Fans were showing him with praise after this win, with some penciling him in as an All-Star this season.
“Franz Wagner has been an absolute demon since Paolo went down with injury dawg that was cold-blooded,” said one fan who has been really impressed with Wagner since Banchero has been out with injury.
“That’s such a fake loss by the Lakers. AD missing 3 of his last 4 free throws then Franz Wagner turning into Steph. Oh well,” said a Lakers fan who was salty about this loss.
“Franz Wagner has been close to a top 10 player this season,” said Tony Jones of The Dunkers Spot.
FRANZ CALLS GAME@franzboogie https://t.co/KIkC3lwYLt pic.twitter.com/0yat4TOPa1
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 22, 2024
Wagner’s incredible fourth quarter shouldn’t overshadow the incredible performance we saw from LeBron James, who went 5-7 from the field in the fourth quarter for 14 points. Fans wanted the legend to receive his flowers for single-handedly giving the Lakers a late lead before they blew it.
LEBRON HITS THREE 3-POINTERS IN A ROW 🔥🎯
28 PTS AND COUNTING. pic.twitter.com/hUvH5C5cg4
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 22, 2024
“I’ll never forget watching LeBron 4th quarters at 1 in the morning,” said creator AFunkyDiabetic on the East Coast who is glad to have stayed up for another LeBron classic.
“I will just reiterate this for the millionth time: What LeBron is doing this late in his career is absolutely unprecedented and should not be taken for granted,” said Lakers writer Matthew Peralta.
“LeBron just deciding “f**k it, I make 3s now” in Year 22 is silly,” said another fan who was blown away by James’ excellent outside shooting.
“Anthony Davis deserves so much praise that he doesn’t get. It’s disgusting,” said one fan wanting Davis to be respected for his production despite his missed free throws costing them the win.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers tonight with a stellar 39 points (14-22 FG) and nine rebounds which will be forgotten due to his free throw mistakes at the end.
LeBron ended the night with 31 points (12-22 FG), 10 rebounds, and seven assists, though he also missed a late free throw. Dalton Knecht continued his strong form with 17 points (7-14 FG), as no other Lakers scored in double-digits.
This was an unfortunate loss for the Lakers, who were on the precipice of their seventh win in a row. Now, they face four tricky fixtures to end November with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and OKC Thunder up next for them.
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