JJ Redick 'frankly' holds LeBron James and Anthony Davis accountable for FT disparity

LeBron James and Anthony Davis finished 12-for-17 from the free-throw line combined. King James went 2-for-4 while AD finished 10-for-13. The two superstars missed crucial late free throws in the LA Lakers’ 119-118 loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

In the postgame interview, Lakers coach JJ Redick gave his honest take as LA collapsed late to allow the Magic to pull off an upset (3:49 mark):

"Frankly, it swung on our missed free throws tonight."

With the Lakers holding a 116-114 lead, James missed one of two shots from the charity stripe. Following a loose ball foul by Jalen Suggs, Davis took his turn and hit 1 of 2 free throw attempts. LA settled for a 118-114 lead when it could have been a 120-114 advantage.

Franz Wagner made the LA Lakers pay for those misses. The German scored a layup with 20 seconds to go to cut LA’s lead. Wagner committed a take foul immediately after scoring to give AD two more attempts from the free throw line. Davis could have iced the game but missed both shots.

In the Orlando Magic’s next possession, Wagner sank a 26-footer over the outstretched arms of Cam Reddish to stun the Lakers. Anthony Davis’ 18-foot jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining went wide, allowing the visitors to pull off an upset.

If Anthony Davis and LeBron James had taken care of their free throws, the LA Lakers would have won the game.

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis carried the LA Lakers offense in the loss to the Orlando Magic

Anthony Davis had a game-high 39 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two assists in the loss. LeBron James tallied 31 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Together, they scored 70 of the Lakers’ 118 points.

Outside of Dalton Knecht, JJ Redick got little offensive output from the rest of the roster. Austin Reaves had nine points on 3-for-12 shooting, including 1-for-4 from deep. D’Angelo Russell added seven points on 3-for-10 attempts, including 1-for-7 from behind the arc. Cam Reddish hardly looked at the rim to shoot.

As superstars do, James and Davis carried the team on their backs. They just couldn’t make the shots that mattered the most late in the game.