The Los Angeles Lakers’ heartbreaking 116-113 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 wasn’t just about blown opportunities or fatigue. A string of questionable officiating decisions tilted critical moments against the Lakers, compounding their struggles and leaving them frustrated.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the referee mistakes that hurt the Lakers’ chances.
1. Jaden McDaniels Trips Luka Doncic — No Call
With just over 30 seconds left in the game and the Lakers down by one, Luka Doncic was bringing the ball up the floor. As he tried to turn the corner, Jaden McDaniels clearly stuck out his leg and tripped Doncic, causing him to fall to the floor and burn a valuable timeout.
The angle that everybody is missing & not seeing what happened before,
When you’re playing defense you’re going side to side , there’s no need to lunge your leg forward so
as you can see here , McDaniels intentionally lunged forward to trip Luka. pic.twitter.com/1qAj6jPfXZ
— JΔY (@JaayScotty) April 28, 2025
With only one second left on the shot clock after the timeout, the Lakers were forced into an impossible inbound situation and turned it over. The officials inexplicably swallowed their whistles despite the obvious trip.
As head coach JJ Redick fumed postgame, “Luka doesn’t just fall like that.” A foul should have been called, giving Luka a chance to put the Lakers ahead at the free-throw line.
2. Foul Called On LeBron James After Stripping Anthony Edwards
Immediately after the turnover, the Lakers had a chance to get a stop. LeBron James defended Anthony Edwards brilliantly, stripping the ball cleanly as Edwards drove to the basket. The ball went out of bounds off Edwards.
The referees initially awarded possession to the Lakers, but after Timberwolves coach Chris Finch challenged the call, the ruling was reversed.
Here’s the foul with LeBron hacking Anthony Edwards across the wrist pic.twitter.com/sCIeUzQCib
— Dan Dickerson National Treasury (@realMattMcClary) April 27, 2025
Even more controversially, LeBron was called for a foul, and Edwards was awarded two free throws. This was especially painful because the Lakers had just used their last timeout moments earlier, meaning they couldn’t challenge the reversal. Edwards hit both free throws to push Minnesota’s lead to three.
After further review, LeBron James was called for a CRUCIAL foul on Anthony Edwards 😳
Ant-Man would make both free throws to go up 3 points and the Wolves would take a WILD Game 4 🍿
Good call or bad call? 🤔pic.twitter.com/qLrQW6L73i
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 27, 2025
LeBron argued after the game that he had hit Edwards’ hand while making a play on the ball, and according to the NBA’s own “Hand is Part of the Ball” rule, he was right.
3. Anthony Edwards’ Missed Travel In The Third Quarter
Earlier in the game, Anthony Edwards got away with a blatant travel that could have shifted momentum. In the third quarter, Edwards drove to the basket, took three steps combined with a double-Eurostep move, and missed the layup.
the first continuous double eurostep in NBA historypic.twitter.com/dGr6SYKMX4
— Vinay K. (@vkillem) April 28, 2025
While the miss prevented immediate damage, it should have been whistled dead, and possession should have swung to the Lakers. Instead, the referees ignored it, allowing play to continue and keeping the Wolves’ offense rolling.
4. Rudy Gobert Elbows LeBron James In The Head — Only Given A Flagrant 1
In a wild sequence during a free-throw situation in the third quarter, Rudy Gobert swung an elbow that caught LeBron James squarely on the head. LeBron, visibly furious, had to be restrained by Austin Reaves and JJ Redick.
Rudy Gobert elbows LeBron in the back of the head 😳 pic.twitter.com/iQXWTe4cUz
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 27, 2025
Despite the clear and dangerous contact, the officials only issued Gobert a Flagrant 1 instead of ejecting him. Considering the NBA’s emphasis on player safety, Gobert’s action arguably deserved a Flagrant 2 and ejection. Keeping Gobert in the game proved critical for Minnesota.
5. Austin Reaves Called For A Foul After Getting Hit In The Face
Adding to the frustration, in the fourth quarter, Austin Reaves was elbowed in the face by Rudy Gobert while fighting for a rebounding position. Shockingly, instead of calling a foul on Gobert, the referees whistled Reaves for the foul.
Rudy Gobert has been throwing elbows all game against the Lakers 😳
This one on Austin Reaves.
Thoughts ? 🗯️ pic.twitter.com/UjkIU4Ymaf
— Trending Sports Podcast (@TrendingSportsP) April 27, 2025
It was another moment where the Lakers not only lost possession but also saw their momentum broken by a blatantly incorrect call. The refs didn’t even review the contact, despite how dangerous it looked in real time.
In a game where every possession mattered, these officiating mistakes added up. JJ Redick insisted after the loss that the Lakers still needed to execute better, and they did collapse down the stretch, but there’s no denying the officiating blunders tilted the balance.
Now down 3-1, the Lakers must regroup quickly, knowing that a razor-thin margin for error and inconsistent whistles await them again in Game 5.
