The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 in Game 3 at Target Center on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series. This was a back-and-forth game for much of the night, but the Timberwolves dominated in the final minutes to pull clear of the Lakers and get a crucial win.
LeBron James hadn’t been at his best offensively in this series in the first two games, but he was brilliant here. James had 38 points (13-21 FG), 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks against the Timberwolves. Unfortunately for James and the Lakers, the much-fancied backcourt didn’t play all that well. Luka Doncic, who was dealing with a stomach bug, had 17 points (6-16 FG), seven rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block. Austin Reaves, meanwhile, had 20 points (7-18 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, and a block.
The Lakers certainly had a good chance of winning this game, but blew it down the stretch. Their fans are now starting to get a bit worried after going down 2-1.
“I’m so scared now. I’m not happy about this,” a Lakers fan is getting anxious.
“I don’t understand, man. I really don’t get why the Lakers had to lose Game 1. Losing that first game just puts us in a bad spot. You’re supposed to protect home court, man. Now we’ve got to steal one. If we don’t take Game 4, we might as well start packing it up,” another fan thinks the season might be over if they lose Game 4.
“Season is over,” one fan is already waving the white flag.
“Can we please hold a practice where we learn how to catch and hold the ball for extended periods of time without turning it over?” A Lakers fan can’t believe how often they turned the ball over in this loss.
“Pathetic display onward after tying the game at 103,” one fan ripped the team for how poorly they played in the clutch.
“I’m sorry, but Rui has to go,” a Lakers fan wants Rui Hachimura off the team after this loss.
This game was tied at 103 with just over four minutes remaining, but the Timberwolves closed it out on a 14-1 run. Rui Hachimura missed all three shots he attempted in that stretch and also committed two fouls. Hachimura had just eight points (3-7 FG), four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block on the night, and it certainly wasn’t his best performance.
While Hachimura’s struggles did hurt the Lakers, Anthony Edwards hurt them even more. Edwards scored or assisted on all 14 of those points and finished with 29 points (12-26 FG), eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block.
Edwards wasn’t the Timberwolves’ leading scorer on the night, though. Jaden McDaniels had 30 points (13-22 FG), five rebounds, one assist, and two steals in Game 3. McDaniels had a team-high 25 points in Game 1 as well, and the Lakers are having trouble dealing with him in this series.
The Lakers now find themselves in must-win territory again in Game 4, which will be played at the Target Center on Sunday at 3:30 PM ET. It’s not impossible to overcome a 3-1 deficit, but you don’t like their chances of pulling that off against this Timberwolves team.
