After a win in Game 2 on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to build on their momentum with a win tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was the first playoff game at Target Center this year, and the Timberwolves crowd made sure to give the enemy their full hostility. In the end, the crowd had a lot to celebrate after the game as the Timberwolves walked off their home court with a 2-1 series lead (116-104).
The score was close for most of the night, as both teams managed to keep the game within single digits. The second quarter was the peak of the game for LA, with 32 points scored to give them a four-point lead at halftime. Things were still close by the fourth quarter, but the Timberwolves managed to close the game thanks to late-game shot-making from key players.
Jaden McDaniels was the leading scorer for the Timberwolves with 30 points, five rebounds, and one assist on 59.1% shooting. Anthony Edwards dropped 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on 46.1% shooting. In the frontcourt, Julius Randle finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 46.2% shooting.
For the Lakers, LeBron James is leading the show with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on 61.9% shooting. Austin Reaves was second in scoring with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 38.9% shooting. Finally, Luka Doncic tallied 17 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists on 37.5% shooting.
The Timberwolves have been trying to wear down LeBron through the entire series, but he cracked the code tonight and tried his best to will the Lakers to victory. Unfortunately for the Lakers, not even the King could prevent the loss tonight, and fans are scrambling to find out what went wrong.
Ugly Turnovers Cost The Game
The story of this game was undoubtedly turnovers for the Lakers. With LeBron James and Luka Doncic running the floor, they should be among the best at getting into their sets and generating a clean look at the basket.
Tonight, however, the Lakers’ careless play and constant miscommunications completely disrupted their offense and limited them to []. They had 16 turnovers through three quarters, leading to 23 Timberwolves points.
Despite being such a pivotal game, LeBron James was the only Laker who came ready to play, and a lack of proper effort was the theme for them all night. Instead of running plays and moving the ball like they did in Game 2, the Lakers reverted to old habits, like isolation basketball that stagnated the offense.
Forgettable Luka Doncic Performance
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison gave up on Luka Doncic after he saw his play in the 2024 NBA Finals. He failed to step up as a leader and was a liability on the floor with one-sided contributions
In this game, Luka held his own defensively, but he didn’t look like himself on the other end, and it spelled disaster for the Lakers. In 40 minutes for the Lakers, Doncic scored 17 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists on 37.5% shooting and 25.0% shooting from three.
Between Doncic’s struggles and shooting woes from Austin Reaves (38.9% shooting), the Lakers didn’t get enough consistent scoring and had no choice but to watch LeBron James drop 38 points in vain. With the whole team built around Luka, it’s hard for them to win when he’s not playing at his typical superstar level.
Missed Free Throws Made A Difference
The Lakers made a lot of rookie mistakes tonight, including turnovers and missed free throws. In Game 3, they went 13-20 from the line and missed an extra seven points that could have helped them close the gap down the stretch.
In the regular season, the Lakers were one of the top free-throw shooting teams in the league with an average of 18.2 makes on 78.5% shooting. They were well below that mark today, reflecting what was an abysmal shooting game for Los Angeles.
Free throw shooting is one of the basketball basics, and if the Lakers were struggling with that, it really shows how far gone they were in this game. The focus and intensity just weren’t there tonight, and it showed in more ways than one.
Now down 2-1 in the series, the Lakers are feeling the pressure to step up their game, and they’ll need to respond in Game 4 on Sunday in order to avoid a 3-1 deficit. To say Lakers fans are disappointed would be an understatement, but it would be hard for their team to play much worse for the rest of this series.Â
