Kennard keeps Lakers hot

Luke Kennard buried a go‑ahead 3 with 0.6 seconds remaining to lift the Lakers to a 105–104 road victory over the Orlando Magic, and he finished the night with 13 points. (espn.com)) Kennard was acquired by Los Angeles at the Feb. 5, 2026 trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second‑round pick. (espn.com)) The shot came off a baseline inbounds feed from Marcus Smart after LeBron James was denied on a contested layup by Paolo Banchero earlier in the sequence, and the night also marked James’ 1,612th regular‑season game played (passing Robert Parish). (espn.com)) Earlier this season the Lakers’ other late‑game finishers were Austin Reaves’ buzzer‑area floater that beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116–115 on Oct. 31, 2025, Rui Hachimura’s buzzer‑beating 3 that beat the Toronto Raptors 123–120 on Dec. 5, 2025, and Luka Dončić’s 0.5‑second fall‑away jumper in overtime that downed the Denver Nuggets 127–125 on Mar. 15, 2026. (nba.com)) Los Angeles sits at 46–25 and atop the Pacific Division entering the final stretch of the regular season, and the team has been 22–6 in clutch situations this year. (espn.com)) The Kennard addition was framed as a shooting upgrade—he was leading the league at roughly 49.7% from three at the time of the trade while the Lakers ranked near the bottom of the league in team three‑point percentage (about 34.8%) before adding him. (espn.com))