LeBron and Luka scoreless. Ant-Man is lawless. Timberwolves are flawless. Lakers in… The Los Angeles Lakers are now on the brink of an early first round elimination, thanks to a series of mishaps in the final quarter and blowing out double-digit leads in game 4 that would have put them in a position where they tie the series. However, after a similar blunder in game 3, Shannon Sharp’s famous quote “Lakers in 5” now has a whole new meaning–and fans of the purple and gold surely wouldn’t like this even one bit.
The visiting Lakers obviously dominated and controlled the first half. LeBron James and Luka Doncic already had 22 and 21, respectively, while Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are also hitting their shots. However, the Lakers–especially head coach JJ Redick–took a big gamble in game 4 by not making any substitution in the second half.
However, the Timberwolves Were Already Playing Extremely Physical From the Get Go
Exhausted and gassed by Minnesota’s physicality, it’s not exactly surprising that Los Angeles would make sloppy plays and mental errors in the final 12 minutes. Failure to defend, grab offensive boards, and hit wide-open threes ultimately became their kryptonite/
In addition, Anthony Edwards went off for 43 points in their 116-113 win, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter, outplaying both LeBron and Luka who went scoreless in the final five minutes of the game. The Wolves eventually came up victorious in crunch time, securing a 3-1 lead in the quarterfinals series. Edwards also managed to get 6 assists and 9 rebounds and helping on the offensive end is Julius Randle, who has been fantastic in this series, finishing with 25 points, 3 dimes, and 7 boards. Jaden McDaniels also chipped in with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Fans and NBA Legends Furious About Redick’s Coaching in Second Half
Again, the Lakers looked like they controlled the game. But, JJ Redick must have thought keeping his core in the second half is the solution to their previous blunders. It worked at first, but the Wolves slowly pushed back with their intensity and physicality.
Even Magic Johnson, a Lakers legend and an NBA Hall-of-Famer, questioned Redick’s decision and went on to rant on social media. A ton of fans also were infuriated how they fumbled the bag big time. However, it’s already done. Doncic and James had another amazing game, but couldn’t capitalize on it in the clutch. Luka finished the game with 38 points, while LBJ had a 27-8-12 statline. Hachimura was playing well and contributed with 23 points as well.
Can the Lakers Still Make a 3-1 Comeback?
The Wolves are now just one win away to reaching the second round, but statistically, the Lakers still has about 4.5% chance of recovering from being down 3-1. In playoff history, coming back from 3-1 only happened 13 times out of the 288 matches it happened. The most recent one was in the 2020 playoffs, when the Denver Nuggets did it twice. Well, LeBron isn’t new to this since he was part of that miraculous 3-1 comeback in the 2016 Finals.
LeBron, Luka, and the rest of the Lakers could still possibly force the series to seven games. The exciting duel between two heavyweights will return in Los Angeles on Thursday.
