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• Redick laments 'small things' as Lakers' unbeaten home run ended by Magic

  JJ Redick accepts the "small things" cost the Los Angeles Lakers as their unbeaten home run was ended by the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

  Franz Wagner scored a 3-pointer inside the final two-and-a-half seconds to earn the Magic a 119-118 win at the Crypto.com Arena.

  The Lakers had been on course for an eighth home win in a row when taking a 118-114 lead with 27 seconds of the contest to go.

  Anthony Davis missed two free throws after the Magic had cut the deficit to two points, which Wagner took advantage of in a dramatic finale.

  Reflecting on the defeat for his side, which leaves the Lakers 10-5 for the season, Redick said: "I'd have to go back and re-watch every possession there in the last couple of minutes.

  "I didn't love the thought process and the mindset when Wagner hit the three. Overall, I felt comfortable with our execution up until the missed free throws and the Wagner three."

  On the game-winning moment from Wagner, Redick added: "We talk all the time about our isos. We don't want to allow threes in isos, especially late in the game. It could have been a little bit better. Small things."

  The Magic improved to 10-7 to stay fourth in the Eastern Conference, with this a seventh win in eight games. 

  "It was big-time," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said of his side's most impressive win of the season thus far. "They missed the free throw, which makes it a two-point game. 

  "[Wagner] comes down, doesn't have to rush it, lines it up. That's the thing, we work on those spacing situations, those shots. He works on those shots. He's not afraid of big moments, and that's what we've asked him to do."

  Wagner scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists for the Magic, while Jalen Suggs added 23 points and Moritz Wagner had a season-high 19.

  "I was a little mad I missed the first [three-point attempt], so I was glad I got another shot," Wagner said post-game.

  "They were set up pretty well, so I didn't really see any driving lane. The one before felt really good. In those moments, you don't really think too much, but I guess I made a good call.

  "Down two, you never just want to settle for a shot, but the way they were playing me... I do work on my off-the-dribble three a lot, and you work on it for those moments. I stepped into it with confidence and I felt really good."

• NBA: Franz Wagner's 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left lifts Magic, cools Lakers

  Franz Wagner hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds to play, and the Orlando Magic roared back to snap the Los Angeles Lakers' six-game winning streak with a 119-118 victory Thursday night.

  Anthony Davis missed two free throws with 19 seconds left and then missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer for the Lakers, who lost to a Magic team playing without three starters in its third game in four nights.

  Wagner scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists for the Magic, who have won seven of eight. Jalen Suggs added 23 points, and Moritz Wagner had a season-high 19.

  Davis had 39 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, while LeBron James scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.

  Los Angeles lost at home for the first time in eight games as James and Davis combined to miss four of six free throws in the final 39 seconds, leaving the door open for Orlando.

   

  Hornets get past Pistons 123-121 in overtime

  Some of the top selections in the NBA Draft over the past few years put on a show Thursday night in the Charlotte Hornets’ 123-121 overtime win against the visiting Detroit Pistons.

  Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in 2023, chipped in eight of his career-high 38 points in OT, while LaMelo Ball - the No. 3 pick in 2020 - contributed 35 points, nine assists and six rebounds to help Charlotte (6-9) win its fourth straight home game.

  It was the first time in franchise history that two Hornets players each scored at least 35 points in the same game.

  Miller and Ball combined to hit 12 of the Hornets’ 20 made 3-pointers, with Miller establishing a personal best with eight 3s. Miller also tied a career high with four steals.

  Detroit (7-10) was led by 2021 No. 1 overall selection Cade Cunningham, who had 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds but left with a hip injury with 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

   

  Barrett scores 31, Barnes returns as Raptors defeat Timberwolves

  RJ Barrett had his second straight 30-point game and former NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes returned to the lineup as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-105 to post back-to-back victories for the first time this season.

  Barrett scored 31 points after pouring in a season-high 39 in Monday’s 130-119 win over the Indiana Pacers that ended a seven-game losing streak for Toronto.

  Wednesday’s victory improved Toronto to 4-4 at home compared to 0-8 on the road.

  Barnes, the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year, was back in action for the first time since suffering a right orbital fracture on October 28 against the Denver Nuggets.

  He had 17 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal in 27 minutes.

  Minnesota (8-7) failed to win a third straight game as Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels combined to score 71 of the team’s 105 points.

• Girlz coach Busby eyes improved performance as 'Bunny' Shaw returns for South Africa friendlies

  With Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz failing to register a win since beating Panama at last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup, Head coach Hubert Busby says the two highly anticipated home friendlies against South Africa represent an opportunity to turnaround their poor run of form.

  Though focused on more than just immediate results, Busby pointed out that victory in upcoming matches is part of a larger vision—a journey toward a third-consecutive World Cup appearance in 2027 and the continued development of a sustainable, competitive program for Jamaica’s women’s football.

  The Girlz will take on South Africa at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on November 29 and December 2, in what will be their first matches on home soil since November 2022. It will also be the first game in Jamaica for the core group of the 2023 World Cup squad since last September’s Olympic qualifying playoff against Canada.

  “It’s special to have the girls back playing in front of our fans. This is an opportunity to connect with the home crowd again, but it’s also a critical step in our preparation for what’s ahead,” Busby shared as he unveiled his 23-member squad.

  “We're looking to have a good performance, then that leads to, obviously, a good result to end the year, but really it is also about us continuing to evaluate and to make the proper assessment of the players who continue to kind of move forward into World Cup qualifiers. I mean, that's really the bigger picture. So short term, let's get two good performances this week...two good results and take that into the February window,” he added.

  

  Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has been in good form for Manchester City.

  Busby’s approach reflects his determination to build on recent experiences, including lessons learned from challenging matches against top-tier opponents like Brazil and more recently, France.

  Despite a compressed six-day camp prior to that encounter, in which they lost 0-3, he noted the progress made in refining their style of play, particularly in maintaining possession and executing defensive transitions.

  “We didn’t get the result we wanted against France, but there were positives, especially in how we’re evolving our style of play—keeping possession and building from the back. But we need to cut down on individual mistakes and improve decision-making in critical moments. Football is a game of moments, and minimizing mistakes during crucial periods is a key focus for us,” he noted.

  With the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil as the ultimate target, Busby has been focused on establishing a winning culture while integrating new talent into the team.

  For the last camp, he invited Taylor Hinds, Lulu Jarvis, Reanna Blades, and Natasha Thomas in to see how they fit into the programme, but none of those players are listed for the upcoming camp, in which national youth representative Destiny Powell and Naya Cardoza will be the only new players among the core group.

  

  The coach stressed that his job is not just to guide the team to their third consecutive World Cup but to lay the groundwork for Jamaica’s participation in every World Cup thereafter, hence the consistent inclusion of young talent.

  “It’s not just about Brazil in 2027. It’s about creating a sustainable pipeline of talent so we’re always competitive because their growth today will fuel our success tomorrow. So it's really important to get these young players in,” Busby shared.

  “My responsibility is to get this team to the 2027 World Cup, but with that said, you know, we want to ensure that we're going to every single World Cup afterwards. Integrating young, talented players into the group to see where they are keeps the group fresh and challenges the group to keep it competitive. The success that we've had in the past, the average age, I believe was about 26 years of age, so they'll probably be about 28 going forward,” he explained.

  One of the most exciting elements of the upcoming friendlies is the return of Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who has been in rich form for Manchester City.

  Busby, while highlighting her influence, both as a leader and a prolific scorer, as key to the team’s offensive strategy, also emphasized that the team’s success needs to be rooted in defence as former captain Konya Plummer, left full-back/winger Siobhan Wilson, and defensive midfielder Peyton McNamara also make a return to the fold. Wilson recently recovered from an ACL injury.

  

  Siobhan Wilson makes a long-awaited return after an ACL injury kept her out of action for nine months.

  “One of our objectives is to keep a clean sheet. Being good defensively has been the basis of our foundation of success without a doubt, but the biggest inclusion in this group is leader ‘Bunny’ Shaw. She's been in great form, as we all know, so it gives us another option up front to go around with all the as to go along with the other attacking options we have. But having her back in the group helps tremendously,” the tactician declared.

  Like the Reggae Girlz, South Africa are also fresh off their participation in the 2023 World Cup, and Busby expects the games to be another tough challenge for his side, much like it was in their last meeting in 2019 when they played out a 1-1 stalemate in Durban.

  “Going into these two games against a great-quality opponent in South Africa still gives us a really good litmus test in terms of where we are and, more importantly, where we need to go. So that is the objective. We want to get the wins. We want to improve performance. And we're hoping that these next two games will see a much more improved performance than we have before, that's for sure,” Busby ended. 

  Squad: Rebecca spencer, Liya Brooks, Allyson Swaby, Konya Plummer, Naya Cardoza, Vyan Sampson, Chantelle Swaby, Deneisha Blackwood, Siobhan Wilson, Atlanta Primus, Destiny Powell, Peyton McNamara, Jade Bailey Drew Spence, Paige Bailey-Gayle, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Khadija Shaw, Kayla McKenna, Davia Richards, Jody Brown, Shania Hayles, Shaniel Buckley, Tiffany Cameron