Apr 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes the ball from the ground as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) pls defense in the first half during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images If the playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves were a movie, it might be hard to determine how to label it.
Drama? Yes. Action? Also, yes. Thriller? You bet.
But this series has no script, so it’s anyone’s guess what will happen when the teams meet for Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after closing strong for a 116-104 win in Game 3 on Friday night.
Now, the Lakers will try to even the series before the teams head to Los Angeles for Game 5. On the other hand, the Timberwolves would love to grab a 3-1 series lead and put the Lakers’ backs against the wall.
“You never know what’s going to happen at any moment, especially in the playoffs,” said Timberwolves forward Naz Reid, who knocked down several big shots off the bench in Game 3. “You’ve got to be ready for anything at any moment.”
The Lakers likely will turn to LeBron James to lead the way. James comes off a terrific performance in which he scored 38 points and drained five 3-pointers to keep his team in contention for as long as he could.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who also shined in the fourth quarter, marveled at James’ ability.
“He did everything he could in his power to try to will them to a win,” Edwards said. “He was shootin’ it from Yucatan. He was shooting it crazy. … It was fun to watch him, be competing against him.”
The big question for the Lakers is whether Luka Doncic will be able to join James on a star level in Game 4. Doncic averaged 34 points per game in the first two games of the series, but he was bothered by a stomach bug on Friday and missed 10 of 16 shots.
Doncic received treatment for his illness after the game and did not talk to reporters.
“Hopefully, whatever’s going on, he’s feeling better on Sunday,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick. “I mean, I can’t (diagnose him). I’m not a doctor.”
Doncic still leads the Lakers with 28.3 points per game in the series. James is next with 26.0 points per game and Austin Reaves rounds out the top three scorers with 17.3 points per game while shooting 32.0 percent from 3-point range, under his regular-season mark of 37.7.
Edwards is the Timberwolves’ top scorer with 25.3 points per game. Three other players are scoring in double digits: Julius Randle (21.7), Jaden McDaniels (21.0) and Reid (14.3).
For the Lakers to come back, they will have to cut down on turnovers. They are averaging 19.7 assists and 15.3 turnovers per game in the series, while the Timberwolves are averaging 22.3 assists and 11.3 turnovers.
“In the postseason, obviously you’re not going to play a perfect game,” James said. “But the more that you make mistakes on top of mistakes, on top of mistakes — things that can be controlled — then it’s not going to give you an opportunity to be in the best possible chance to win.”
–Field Level Media
