once again Los Angeles Lakers They found themselves in a game they desperately needed to win, clutching at victory with one hand in the hope that the opposing team would fall off the cliff first. This of course en route to a 108-102 overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves who missed both Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, and whose Anthony Edwards was playing with a shoulder injury that he suffered during the game.
The Lakers better get in shape as soon as possible because they will face youth in the next round The Memphis Grizzlies team with the best defense, the healthiest best player, and the home court advantage.
Timberwolves 3c. raining down
For the first three quarters, the Lakers ran in a buzz, Minnesota Scored 86 points on three-quarters shooting at a blistering rate from three, By the end of the game, the Timberwolves made 16 3-point baskets only the last three came 4th Quarter – None in overtime.
With Edwards injured and Karl Anthony-Town’s refusal to punish the younger Lakers defenders on a night in which he went 8-of-12 From the Grounds, Timberwolf Drought conditions went into the middle of the fourth quarter. That cold stretch only allowed the Lakers to take the lead for the first time since the first half.
It was not the only collapse by the Timberwolves that resulted in their shooting as the temperatures outside their home turned cold in February. Anthony Davis was brutal on defense, especially in the last two periods of the game. He got his hands on the basketball in the paint and contested every shot that was possibly within his reach. That aggression nearly cost the Lakers when Davis was called for a defensive foul on a Mike Conley 3-pointer with less than 0.5 seconds remaining in the game. However, without him shutting down the defense, the Lakers could host another play-in game on Friday night.
Of course the Lakers should be proud that they pulled off this win. Combine this with having the second best record in the NBA since the A’sll-sTar breaks – all the wins coming after the trades – and it’s probably fair to consider the Lakers a contender.
the sample size, However, there is only 23 games. During that time the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz and Timberwolves had significant success from the 3-point line against them. with their Losses to the Bulls in March 26, A Last week’s overtime battle against the Jazz, and a Los Angeles Clippers loss the next day, it’s the Hot Lakers the team still had to participate Play-in Tournament. The 3-point line in those games has hurt this team that has played stellar defense since the time limit. He has also struggled to create offense in critical moments. An example would be the fourth quarter, and most Tuesday night play-in games. While the Timberwolves only managed to score 12 points in the fourth quarter, the Lakers weren’t exactly singing the Nets with their 19 points.
What the Lakers have done recently is a better defense that has ranked fourth in the NBA since the break. The Grizzlies have the second best defensive rating in the league for the entire season. Plus their Defensive Player of the Year candidate – Jaren Jackson Jr. – is having the best offensive season of his career, averaging 18.6 points per game on a 50.6/35.5/78.8 shooting split. He is the third option behind stars Ja Morant and Desmond Bain who has also had a career year on offense,
Reworking their roster has left the Lakers a much stronger team than they were at the beginning of February. The problem, however, resulted from those early conflicts. Matched up against a young team with new legs and some crucial playoffs game under his belt. The new and improved Lakers not only haven’t played in any playoff series as a group, but have looked weak down the stretch.
The rest between Tuesday’s win and their game on Sunday should do wonders for the Lakers. That being said, the Lakers played better when the ball tipped off in Memphis as they did for most of March, and not how they’ve crawled over the finish line in recent weeks.