Luke Kennard’s Lakers tenure has been a quiet one since Los Angeles acquired him from the Hawks ahead of the trade deadline.
The veteran sharpshooter’s season averages in points and minutes have ticked up since the move from Atlanta, but his shooting percentages—which were frankly incredible to start the year, prompting the interest from the Lakers—are not quite the same as they were. After shooting an absurd 49.7% from three on 3.2 attempts per game with the Hawks, he’s connecting on 44.3% with L.A., still very good, though his impact has been fairly muted since the deal. Kennard only had six double-digit scoring nights entering Saturday, and he had been held without a point in two of the Lakers’ last three nights.
That changed in a big way on Saturday night against the Magic.
The game was already a historic one for the Lakers the moment it began, as it marked the NBA-record 1,612th contest of LeBron James’s legendary career, putting him one ahead of Robert Parish for the league record. Kennard closed the record-breaking game in style, and had the 41-year-old James absolutely fired up, knocking down a go-ahead three with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock to give Los Angeles a 105–104 road win.
LUKE KENNARD HITS THE GO-AHEAD 3 TO WIN IT FOR THE LAKERS 🚨
— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2026
LOS ANGELES HAS WON 9 GAMES IN A ROW! pic.twitter.com/1kZR6dsqQk
That is some serious exuberance from James after the win. His last year with Los Angeles has had its ups and downs, but as the team rounds into postseason form, he’s still clearly energized and locked in as he pursues a fifth NBA title.
How LeBron James set Luke Kennard up to hit the game-winner
The Lakers have been extremely dangerous in recent weeks, thanks to the MVP-level play from Luka Dončić and James’s embrace of being a third-option on offense behind Dončić and Austin Reaves.
That continued on Saturday, as James scored just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting in the win. He has finished with under 20 points in six of his last seven games. Even with this lesser role, he remains a threat that must always be accounted for on the court, and coach JJ Redick used that fact to tremendous effect against Orlando.
With Marcus Smart inbounding from the baseline, Reaves was camped in the corner and defended by Jalen Suggs, while Magic forward Tristan de Silva played tight defense to prevent a pass to Dončić, as good a clutch shooter as there is in the league. James, meanwhile, used screen action from Kennard up top to crash to the rim, drawing both Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero into the paint while leaving Kennard wide open for the three. Banchero attempted to get back, but it was far too late with a deadeye shooter like Kennard left that open.
The red-hot Lakers have now won nine consecutive games and 12 of their last 13 contests, climbing to third in the Western Conference in the process. They may not have time to catch the Spurs for second place, with 6 1/2 games in between them, but they now have a solid three-game cushion over fourth place. More importantly, look the part of a Finals contender, with Redick pushing all of the right buttons and his key pieces accepting their roles down the stretch.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How LeBron James Perfectly Set Up Lakers’ Luke Kennard for Wide Open Game-Winning Three vs. Magic.
