The Lakers' first home defeat was obviously going to be difficult to swallow since you never want to see a positive series come to an end. But the scenario of the match lost against the Magic adds to the bitter side of this setback. Overall, Los Angeles had control of the game and, on several occasions, could have concluded and taken cover.
Main downside, the most obvious, the one that jumps out at you: the free throws missed by Anthony Davis in the final seconds. The interior had succeeded on its 9 previous attempts. Then three are missing… “Any defeat is frustrating and even more so for me because I was the one who missed the free throws”recognizes the All-Star.
He received the support of Austin Reaves, who wanted to emphasize the clumsiness of the Lakers in the last quarter. The guard missed two attempts a few minutes earlier and the team as a whole missed six of eight free throws in the final four minutes. Six points that weigh heavily.
“Davis wasn't the only one to miss free throws. Collectively, we were not good in this area in the last act and that is the reason why we lost. He has done so much for our team that these two failures don’t change anything.”assures Austin Reaves in the face of his teammate's 39 points.
Certainly missed free throws, but also errors elsewhere
Especially since on JJ Redick's side, it's not just the points dropped on the penalty line that remain in the throat. It was also the defense on Franz Wagner's decisive shot, even if Cam Reddish contested this shot well.
“I didn't like our way of doing things, our state of mind when Wagner hit a 3-pointer. We constantly talk about isolations, that we don't want to allow the opponent to shoot 3-points in isolation. Especially at the end of the match”laments the coach, who also confirms that “every defeat is frustrating” and that the meeting “tipped with missed free throws”.
For LeBron James, the sources of the Lakers' defeat lie further upstream.
“The game lasts 48 minutes and we can't just point the finger at the free throws. We want to finish and we had our chances. We missed free throws and we are moving forward. And our third quarter? »asks the “King”. Los Angeles lost it 29-21. “We let go of our lead”he continues. “We were seven points ahead at the break and they went ahead. It's not just one item. It’s clear that we could conclude with free throws. We didn't know how to do it, we move on to something else. »
