Anthony Davis's Historic Night Wasted as Lakers Stumble vs Magic

Anthony Davis continued his impressive run with 39 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, surpassing Lamar Odom for 20th on the Lakers' all-time scoring list. LeBron James caught fire in the fourth quarter, finishing with 31 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three, along with 10 rebounds and seven assists.

However, the duo's excellence was undone in the final 40 seconds when they combined to shoot just 2-of-6 from the free-throw line. With the Lakers up by two with 20 seconds remaining, Davis missed two crucial free throws, opening the door for Franz Wagner's game-winning three-pointer on the following possession.

Dalton Knecht contributed 17 points and four rebounds, while Austin Reaves had an unusually quiet night with just nine points. While the Lakers' bench showed signs of improvement - with D'Angelo Russell dishing out six assists and Cam Reddish adding eight rebounds - free throw shooting ultimately cost them the game. The team shot just 17-of-26 from the charity stripe, with their stars particularly struggling in clutch moments. Davis and James combined to miss four critical free throws in the final 40 seconds.

The game stayed tight throughout, with neither team able to build a comfortable lead. LeBron seemed to take control late, draining three straight three-pointers to put the Lakers up seven. But the Magic kept responding, setting up the dramatic finish that saw AD's potential game-winning fadeaway miss badly as time expired.

They'll need to address these issues quickly as they prepare to host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 7:30 PM PT.