Deandre Ayton
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Deandre Ayton is in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After recording his first double-double in a month, Deandre Ayton called out the Los Angeles Lakers after another home loss on Tuesday. The Lakers blew two double-digit leads against the Orlando Magic in the final game of an eight-game homestand.
Ayton finished the game with 21 points, 13 rebounds and one steal. It was his best performance since January 30, when he dropped 28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a 142-111 win over the Washington Wizards.
The Lakers had a double-digit lead in either half, but the Magic still came away with a 110-109 victory. Wendell Carter Jr. hit the go-ahead basket with 6.7 seconds remaining.
Luka Doncic had a wide-open shot to make the game-winning basket, but he hesitated and passed the ball to LeBron James, who missed a wild fadeaway turnaround at the buzzer.
Ayton recovered the offensive board and made the putback basket, but there was no time left. The Lakers went 4-4 in their eight-game homestand, a disappointing record heading into a two-game road trip.
Ayton Calls Out Lakers After Loss
Speaking to reporters after the game, Deandre Ayton expressed his disappointment with the team for losing another home game. Ayton also encouraged the team to bounce back in their next game on Thursday against a short-handed Phoenix Suns.
“It’s a bit upsetting,” Ayton said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “We still got a lot of chances to just get in as good of a position as we can. Did feel weird in the homestand, just being 4-4. It was tough losses and played against some really good teams. But … just get back in the lab and just get ready for the next game.”
While Ayton isn’t the locker room leader for the Lakers, it was refreshing to see him voicing his frustrations and holding the team accountable. It was a winnable game against the Magic, but they let it slip away.
The Lakers are now sitting sixth in the West standings at 34-23. The Suns are just two games behind, so there’s a chance that the purple and gold franchise could fall to the NBA Play-In Tournament spots if they continue losing.
Doncic Takes Blame for Magic Loss
It’s no secret that Luka Doncic is one of the most gifted offensive players the NBA has ever seen. That’s why it was shocking to see him hesitate on a wide open shot and opt to pass the ball in the final seconds of a must-win contest.
In his postgame media availability, Doncic put the loss to the Magic on himself. He took the blame for passing up a chance to win the game.
“I know I was open, but I just thought I was a little bit far,” Doncic said. “Tried to take one dribble closer. And I probably shouldn’t have picked up the ball and just tried to attack.”
Doncic added he was overthinking a little bit since he was struggling to make his shots the entire game, going 8-for-24 from the field and 2-for-10 from 3-point range. He also absolved LeBron James from taking the blame since he put his teammate in a tough spot.