LA blows again during the tightening time
The Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 3 in their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday as they scored 103 with more than four minutes left. They once again had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win the Sunday snatch.
They built multiple leads in Game 4, including the first 14 points in the third quarter, which included a 72-61 lead. The Lakers still led the fourth quarter 94-84, but then Anthony Edwards began the best imitation of the late Great Kobe Bryant, and the leader disappeared.
Los Angeles made several mistakes again as they extended. LeBron James threw the ball on the inbound pass, and with 10.1 seconds left, Edwards drove to the basket and seemed to have lost the ball from his body. Timberwolves challenged the phone and turned it into a foul on James, which led to a successful Edwards free throw. This is the final score of Los Angeles' loss score of 116-113
Edwards scored 16 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter, while the Los Angeles board was weak. It gave up 18 offensive rebounds, which turned into the Timberwolves' 20 second chance score. This time the team won the paint list again, scoring 18 points this time and won 16-7 in the fast field.
Purple and Gold are now facing elimination for a few days at the start of the series. Game 5 will be held on Wednesday at the Crypto.com Arena.
Rui Hachimura:
Ultimately, Hachimura's performance was more than just his own weight. He scored 10 points in the first half, almost equaling his highest scoring output in the series in the game before Sunday, and as the Lakers temporarily controlled his 10 points in the third quarter.
Overall, he scored 23 points on 16 shots, while half of his 10 3-point attempts. He also contributed five rebounds and one assist.
Jaxson Hayes: C-Minus
Again, Hayes had little effect. He did get three rebounds in four minutes and two points in four minutes, but he pulled out with 7:39 left in the first quarter and seemed to be pinned to the bench with industrial-strength glue for the rest of the afternoon.
Interestingly, head coach JJ Redick played the exact same roster throughout the second half: Hachimura, James, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith. Redick hints that he is considering tying Hayes after Game 3.
Austin Reaves: C-Plus/b-Minus
Reeves was asked to make a third foul with 10:23 left in the second quarter. By then, he had no points and tried only two shots. He then shot 11 points with 5 shots in the third quarter, but he wasn't there when the Lakers needed him the most.
His teammates made only two of seven attempts in the fourth quarter, all seven attempts from outside the arc. He simply didn't attack the dribble like he usually does, and although some of the praises are Minnesota defense, Reeves should have forced the issue more in this way.
He ended the afternoon with 17-point 17 in 14 shots. He got a strong 5-for-12 shot from downtown, but the statistic shows that his shooting choices lack balance. He did have seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal, although he missed a three-point attempt that would have sent the game to overtime before the last horn.
Luka Doncic: A-Minus
Doncic felt uncomfortable in Game 3, and after two excellent performances started the series, he only scored 16 with only 16. He seemed to have returned to his usual self very early. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and despite shooting from outside early, he caused a lot of damage near the rim.
He continued to attack and scored 31 points in three quarters. But like Reaves, his shooting turned cold in the fourth quarter as he made only one of six shots during that time.
The Slovenians were involved in one of the most controversial moments of the game. With 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter, he brought the up ball and seemed to trip over Jaden McDaniels. Without a foul, Don Sici lost his balance. The Lakers were forced to call their final timeout, which was not one after Edwards' late free throws, which left them without three points.
LeBron James: A-Minus
Once again, at the end of his 40s and his 22 seasons, James smiled at his father's time.
He looked energetic early, scoring nine points in the first 7:13 in the first quarter. He shot only five shots in the first quarter, but before the first half midfielder, he scored 12 points from the free throw line. Overall, he scored 15 of 18 goals from the charity stripes, which allowed him to score 27 points while trying only nine shots. He also completed 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
In the last two minutes, his two blocks appeared as he tried his best to equalize the series.
But James is not immune to Yips during the tightening time. The inbound pass he lost late in the game is unforgivable, he missed a three-pointer and had less than a minute left, which would put his team ahead by five points. In the fourth quarter, he scored no points, no free throw line.
Dorian Finney-Smith: B/B-Plus
Finney-Smith has only 7 goals from the field, but he must be praised for his overall efforts, especially since he played for 41 minutes, which is much more than he has ever encountered. He had eight rebounds and a surprising six assists, and he hit a three-pointer with a score of 1:29, giving the Lakers a 113-111 lead.
Gabe Vincent:d
Vincent played for 13 minutes and the first half came, and he missed his two attempts and didn't score. He contributed only one rebound and one steal.
Jordan Goodwin Jarred Vanderbilt: Incomplete
Maybe the Lakers should play Vanderbilt and Goodwin in the second half, and if there is no other reason, just give their five Iron Man some blow. Vanderbilt and Goodwin were both underperforming on two rebounds for seven minutes a game.