The Lakers rallied past the Timberwolves in a wild Play-In matchup Tuesday to secure a 108-102 overtime win and the No. 7 seed in the West. Here’s what you need to know:
- After trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Lakers pulled ahead 98-95 with 1.4 seconds left in regulation on a clutch Dennis Schröder 3-pointer.
- Anthony Davis then fouled Minnesota’s Mike Conley with 0.1 seconds remaining. Conley sunk three free throws to send the game to overtime.
- Los Angeles outscored the Timberwolves 10-4 in OT and will face the No. 2 seed Grizzlies in a first-round series starting Sunday in Memphis.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What the win means for the Lakers
The Lakers avoided a catastrophic loss on Tuesday — the type that could’ve changed the franchise’s offseason plans. Had the Lakers lost a crucial game to an undermanned Timberwolves squad, with some of their key free agents performing poorly, they potentially would’ve had some difficult decisions to make this summer.
Instead, all is well — at least for now — as the Lakers are in the playoffs. Los Angeles gutted out an ugly, gritty game that turned into a turnover-filled brick-fest down the stretch of the fourth quarter and into overtime. It was ugly, but they’ll take it. — Buha
GO DEEPER
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One player to keep an eye on
One storyline to monitor: D’Angelo Russell scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting. He partially compensated for his poor shooting with eight assists and just one turnover, but Los Angeles needed more from its third-leading scorer who is also an impending free agent (and eligible for a two-year, $67 million extension).
Lakers coach Darvin Ham essentially benched Russell from the 5:59 mark of the third quarter through the rest of the game, only bringing him on the floor for a couple of possessions late as a decoy. Russell has a checkered postseason history from a performance perspective, and his play will dictate both how far the Lakers go and what type of contract he earns this offseason. — Buha
Do the Lakers have a chance against Memphis?
The Lakers match up well with the Grizzlies, who are expected to be without both big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. Similar to the Wolves game, the Lakers should be able to get to the rim consistently. Unlike the Wolves matchup, the Grizzlies have arguably the best rim protector in basketball in Jaren Jackson Jr., who’ll erase any and every shot in his vicinity.
Nonetheless, the Lakers should be able to exploit Memphis inside with their paint-heavy offensive game plan. My early prediction, before digging into film and data, is Lakers in seven. — Buha
What happened to the Timberwolves?
The Timberwolves were in control of this game for the first three quarters, putting together one of their best all-around performances of the season. Karl-Anthony Towns was the best player on the floor, Conley came up huge and everything appeared to be going their way. But the offense ground to a halt in the fourth quarter after Towns got into foul trouble.
They scored nine points in the first 11 minutes, 59.9 seconds, and looked dead when Schröder hit a corner 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left for a 98-95 lead. Then Davis fouled Conley on a 3 with .1 seconds remaining, and the veteran hit all three foul shots to force overtime. With Anthony Edwards appearing to be hurt, they just couldn’t find the offense they needed to pull it out. Conley, acquired in the trade that sent Russell to the Lakers, had a terrific game, scoring 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting. — Krawczynski
Who stood out for Minnesota?
Kyle Anderson has been in the eye of the storm following his confrontation with Rudy Gobert on Sunday, but the veteran came up huge in this one. He had 12 points, 13 assists, four blocks and four steals, guarding Davis for a lot of the time while Towns dealt with foul trouble. It was the kind of heady, hard-nosed performance he’s given these Wolves all year long. Chris Finch called him their most important player, and he was every bit of that against the Lakers.
Towns was the best player on the floor for the first three quarters. With a mixture of shot-making, passing and rebounding, he outplayed Davis and controlled the game. But a season-long issue with foul trouble severely limited his effectiveness in the fourth quarter and OT. He played tentatively in an effort to not pick up his sixth foul, and the Wolves offense shut down without him. Towns was scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime and finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Edwards had one of his worst offensive games of the season, scoring nine points on 3-of-17 shooting. He missed all nine of his 3s and appeared to be playing through a considerable amount of pain after he took a scary tumble while trying to block a shot from Rui Hachimura. He missed the start of the fourth quarter, and came back into the game with a heavily taped left shoulder, serving mostly as a decoy on the offensive end. He played extremely well defensively, taking Russell completely out of the game with his aggressive approach. — Krawczynski
What’s next for the Wolves?
The Wolves will now go home to play the winner of New Orleans and Oklahoma City for the eighth seed and a first-round date with Denver. It’s a disappointing outcome for the Wolves, but they showed a remarkable amount of guts in this one.
Gobert was suspended for punching Anderson. Jaden McDaniels was out with a broken hand. They battled the whole way, but just couldn’t come up with enough shots down the stretch to finish it off. They will get a much-needed two-day break before the do-or-die game on Friday. — Krawczynski
Leading scorers
LeBron James led all scorers with 30 points, while Davis contributed 24 points and 15 rebounds. Towns led the Timberwolves with 24 points and 11 rebounds to go along with Conley’s 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
Highlight of the game
LEBRON FINDS SCHRODER.
LAKERS TAKE THE LEAD.1.4 seconds left on TNT! pic.twitter.com/i2NfANyC1w
— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2023
Required reading
(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)
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