The Los Angeles Lakers earned a thrilling 105-104 victory over the Orlando Magic. The game featured a historic milestone for Lebron James and the last-second heroics of Luke Kennard. With LA trailing 104–102, Marcus Smart made an inbounds pass from the baseline to Kennard on the left wing, and Kennard hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left. Orlando’s Jalen Suggs missed a 70-foot heave at the buzzer, and the Lakers rushed Kennard near center court, with James picking Kennard up during the celebration.
In this regard, James said, “We had a plan to not guard the incoming ball. Try to get it in the short corner. Marcus was kind of a free safety. And we went for the steal before we made a mistake…”
James’ final stat line – 12 points on 5 for 13 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and three steals – wasn’t overwhelming, he still broke Parish’s milestone in style. As electric as James’ dunk was early on, it was the team’s execution that occurred between Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean’s play call, Smart’s pass and Kennard’s shot that really stood out.
Kennard further stated, “Smart had to make a few reads and finally found me there, it was the right read. Give or miss it, I think we would have lived with the results because we executed both plays at the end. But it was good that we executed them well.”
