It isn’t often thatLuka Dončićis hesitant to make a decision on the court, caught in the process of processing the choices available to him.
But that’s exactly what happened onTuesday night in the Lakers’ one-point loss to the Magic.
On an inbounds play with the Lakers trailing the Magic, 110–109, Dončić came off a Deandre Ayton screen to break free from Orlando’s lanky defenders.
He caught the ball a few feet behind the 3-point line before squaring his body to the basket with space between him and the closest defender, with just over six seconds left in the game.
“I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far,” Dončić explained. “Tried to take one dribble closer.”
Luka Doncic's perspective on the Lakers' final possession: "I know I was open, but I thought I was a little far."https://t.co/2dGqYfcgchpic.twitter.com/Mqcy4vE8rG
Dončić took the dribble, but by the time he did, the space he initially created was evaporating, and soon about to get filled withAnthony Black and Jonathan Isaac’s arms.
A few more seconds ticked by before Dončić threw a pass toLeBron James, who had time to take a 27-foot turnaround, fading 3-pointer that hit off the backboard before coming off the back of the rim to seal the Lakers’ second straight loss.
“I just saw him open and I didn’t want to lose the ball,” Dončić said. “We didn’t have timeouts. [But] I shouldn’t have picked up the ball. I should have attacked. That’s on me.”
James said the Lakers executed the play correctly even though they didn’t get the shot they wanted.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
