Franz Wagner scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left, and helped the Orlando Magic come back to win 119-118 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Jalen Suggs of Orlando scored 23 points, while Moritz Wagner added 19 and Tristan da Silva contributed 12. Franz Wagner also recorded 11 assists and shot 13-for-26 from the field, including 5-for-9 in the fourth quarter.
Goga Bitadze grabbed 15 rebounds as the Magic won their seventh game in the last eight.
For the Lakers, Anthony Davis had 39 points and nine rebounds, but he missed 3 of 4 free-throw attempts in the last 27 seconds and missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer. The Lakers were just 3-for-9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
LeBron James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists for the Lakers. Rookie Dalton Knecht scored 17 points, two nights after setting a career-high 37 points and tying the NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers. Knecht shot 3-for-7 from beyond the arc in this game.
Los Angeles saw its six-game winning streak end and lost for the first time in eight home games this season.
The Lakers led 105-98 with 7:23 left after James made three 3-pointers in just over a minute, also adding a Davis free throw. Davis then made a 3-pointer at the 5:02 mark, putting Los Angeles ahead 110-105.
Orlando took a 113-112 lead with 2:06 left on a Franz Wagner 3-pointer, but the Lakers regained the lead with a basket from James, a rebound by James, and an outlet pass to Davis for a dunk, putting Los Angeles ahead 116-113 with 1:17 remaining.
Franz Wagner scored eight of the Magic’s last nine points in the final 2:06.
The teams exchanged the lead 10 times in the first two quarters, with the Lakers holding their biggest lead of the half, up 67-60 at the break. Los Angeles shot 55.6% from the field in the first half, and Davis had 19 points.
James hit a 3-pointer to open the second half, giving the Lakers their largest lead of the game at 70-60. Orlando then went on a 13-3 run in the third quarter to take a 78-77 lead, and the game remained tight until the end.
The Magic were missing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (personal), Paolo Banchero (oblique), and Wendell Carter Jr. (foot).
