LOS ANGELES, NOV 22 – German international Franz Wagner hit a three-pointer with three seconds left as the Orlando Magic ended the Los Angeles Lakers’ unbeaten streak at home with a dramatic 119-118 win yesterday.
Wagner, 23, scored 37 points, 11 assists and six rebound to lead the Magic in scoring, with his older brother Moritz adding 19 points off the bench and Jalen Suggs scoring 23 points.
The Lakers, riding a six-game winning streak heading into Thursday’s game, regretted their sloppiness from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, where they made just three of nine attempts.
The Lakers looked close to ending the game with a win after opening a four-point lead with 27 seconds left, at 118-114.
But Franz Wagner closed the gap to 118-116 with one layupand then Anthony Davis missed two free throws to give Orlando some hope with 19 seconds left.
Wagner then punished the Lakers’ waste, calmly nailing a three-pointer from 26 feet to give Orlando the lead that would eventually become their victory.
Davis led the scoring for the Lakers with 39 points while LeBron James contributed 31 points, 10 rebound and seven assists. Rookie Dalton Knecht added 17 points.
Orlando now has a 10-7 record while the Lakers fell to 10-5 and are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.
In other games, the San Antonio Spurs improved their record to 8-8 for the season after battling to beat the Utah Jazz, 126-118. – AFP
