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After controlling much of the second half of Sunday’s Game 4 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, many Los Angeles Lakers fans were more than justified in their frustration that their team blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to lose 116-114.
The defeat puts the Lakers on the brink of elimination, making the final three games in the series must-win for them.
Los Angeles got a spirited offensive effort out of star point guard Luka Doncic, who totaled a team-high 38 points, while LeBron James chipped in 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, Rui Hachimura contributed 23 points, and five rebounds, and Austin Reaves logged 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but it wasn’t enough to stifle Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
The 23-year-old guard scored a game-high 43 points with nine rebounds and six assists, and he helped spark Minnesota’s second-half comeback.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick lobbies for possession due to a Minnesota Timberwolves player kicking the ball in the third quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Some fans and analysts on social media blamed L.A.’s loss on the team gassing down the stretch, which makes plenty of sense given the NBA history that Lakers head coach JJ Redick made in the first half.
“NBA Playoff history in today’s Game 4: the first time a team has ever played the same 5 players for a whole half. No substitutions at all from JJ Redick,” Legion Hoops wrote on X.
As Lakes legend Magic Johnson pointed out on X, both James and Doncic played the entire second half after having just one day of rest following Game 3.
Four Lakers players — James (46), Doncic (46), Hachimura (41), and Dorian Finney-Smith (41) — played 40 or more minutes, and only four bench players got into the game.
For comparison, three of Minnesota’s bench players had 12 or more minutes of playing time, while two of Los Angeles’ bench players (Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin) had just seven minutes and one had 13 (Gabe Vincent).
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The defeat puts the Lakers on the brink of elimination, making the final three games in the series must-win for them.
Los Angeles got a spirited offensive effort out of star point guard Luka Doncic, who totaled a team-high 38 points, while LeBron James chipped in 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, Rui Hachimura contributed 23 points, and five rebounds, and Austin Reaves logged 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but it wasn’t enough to stifle Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
The 23-year-old guard scored a game-high 43 points with nine rebounds and six assists, and he helped spark Minnesota’s second-half comeback.
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Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick lobbies for possession due to a Minnesota Timberwolves player kicking the ball in the third quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Some fans and analysts on social media blamed L.A.’s loss on the team gassing down the stretch, which makes plenty of sense given the NBA history that Lakers head coach JJ Redick made in the first half.
“NBA Playoff history in today’s Game 4: the first time a team has ever played the same 5 players for a whole half. No substitutions at all from JJ Redick,” Legion Hoops wrote on X.
As Lakes legend Magic Johnson pointed out on X, both James and Doncic played the entire second half after having just one day of rest following Game 3.
Four Lakers players — James (46), Doncic (46), Hachimura (41), and Dorian Finney-Smith (41) — played 40 or more minutes, and only four bench players got into the game.
For comparison, three of Minnesota’s bench players had 12 or more minutes of playing time, while two of Los Angeles’ bench players (Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin) had just seven minutes and one had 13 (Gabe Vincent).
Continue reading...
