Minnesota Timberwolves turn back Los Angeles Lakers, take 2-1 lead in NBA playoff series

One of the questions for the Timberwolves in this playoff series against the Lakers was how would they respond in a tight game against two stars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic who have thrived in those situations.

The answer Friday night was this: Just fine. Anthony Edwards led a fourth-quarter charge in a 116-104 victory over the Lakers with a superb performance down the stretch. He outplayed James and Doncic in the final minutes as the Wolves sprinted to the finish and took a 2-1 lead in the series. James had 38 for the Lakers while Doncic had 17 on 6-for-16 shooting.

Edwards mixed playmaking with scoring as he finished with 29 points and eight assists. Jaden McDaniels was once again great for the Wolves, as he was in Game 1, with 30 points. His right-corner three with 38.9 seconds to play kicked off the celebration.

The Wolves held a small lead during the fourth as James brought the Lakers back with three threes to make the score 100-99 with 5 minutes, 59 seconds to play. Doncic, who was battling a stomach bug, per ESPN, tied the score at 103 with 4:37 to play as he went at Rudy Gobert in isolation after Gobert subbed back in the game.

After a timeout, Finch went back to a Julius Randle-Naz Reid frontcourt, and Edwards hit a three, but they followed that with a shot-clock violation. Edwards made a good look to hit an open Reid for a 109-103 lead with 3:04 left. Edwards then got by James for a layup and a 11-104 lead.

Edwards was called for a foul on Rui Hachimura with 2:05 to play, but the Wolves reviewed the foul and won, regaining possession in the process. On the Lakers’ next possession, James hit the side of the backboard on a three. The Lakers suddenly went cold after hitting a good chunk of their outside shots most of the night.

The Wolves came out with a much better offensive start than they had in Games 1 and 2. They scored on their first seven possessions to open the night. They led 32-26 after one. McDaniels looked more like the player he was in Game 1 with a 4-for-5 start to the night for eight points. Everyone got involved in the scoring early on as the Wolves came out with a balanced attack. Edwards looked to get his teammates involved with five points and three assists as the Wolves opened with a 27-19 lead.

On the other end, the Lakers shot well (52% in the first quarter) but committed six turnovers. Doncic had paced each of the first two games with his scoring, but in Game 2 he had five assists in the first quarter. James came out more aggressively on offensive and hit his first three shots. The Wolves crashed the boards effectively in the first quarter and had seven second-chance points to the Lakers’ two.

The Wolves grabbed their largest lead of the night, 35-26, early in the second on a Reid three-point play, but the Lakers responded with a 9-0 run. This caused Finch to sub Edwards back in just after three minutes of rest, earlier than he might have liked. The Lakers took their first lead since 3-2 after James hit a three to make it 39-37. The second unit, which usually brings offensive flow and ball movement, instead killed the momentum the Wolves had going in the first quarter.

When the Wolves did get open looks, especially from three-point range, they couldn’t hit them. They were 1-for-9 from three-point range in the second quarter. Overall, the Wolves were 8-for-25 from the field. James had 22 at the half, Reaves had 14 for the Lakers while McDaniels and Randle led the Wolves with 14 each. Edwards had 12 points on 5-for-14, which included a couple of misses around the rim.

The Lakers began the third quarter without Doncic on the floor, but he checked into the game 49 seconds into the third. ESPN reported Doncic was dealing with a stomach bug. The Wolves’ shooting returned out of the locker room, as they went 4-for-6 from three-point range to open the third, and they regained the lead 70-65 before the first timeout with 6:55 to play. They led 86-84 after three.

The Wolves forced six Lakers turnovers in the third, but the Lakers continued to shoot well when they weren’t turning it over. The Wolves couldn’t get separation on the scoreboard as a result. They did lead 85-78 before the Lakers hit a pair of threes, including a tough one from Doncic, toward the close of the quarter. The Lakers were 14-for-29 from three-point range through three quarters.