Timberwolves clutch at crunch time, beat Lakers 116-113 to take control of playoff series

Most teams down 10 entering the fourth quarter against a prime Luka Doncic and the ageless LeBron James, both playing at the peak of their powers Sunday, might have recognized it wouldn’t be their game.

But this Timberwolves team, equal parts infuriating and invigorating during a tumultuous regular season, had the Lakers right where they wanted them.

The Wolves outlasted the Lakers for a thrilling 116-113 victory in Game 4 at Target Center to take a 3-1 series lead in a game that will go down as a classic in the Anthony Edwards era.

Doncic went for 38; James for 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Edwards, who scored 43, and the Wolves didn’t care. As teammate Donte DiVincenzo put it after the game, Edwards is a mirror for the team, and he helps infuse that belief that the odds are never too long for the Wolves.

“Throughout the entire season, whether in the storms of ups and downs and different guys in the lineup and trying to figure out and get guys comfortable, when it comes winning time, the dude knows how to win,” DiVincenzo said. “That’s flat out what it comes down to.”

For the second consecutive game, the Wolves were the smarter and more disciplined team down the stretch, an ironic twist for those who paid close attention to their late-game issues in the regular season. They were also likely the fresher team, as Lakers coach JJ Redick leaned on the same five players for the entire second half.

The Wolves sensed it, and knew they could attack, with Edwards at the head of the snake.

“I felt like they was gassed going down the stretch,” Edwards said. “Just trying to keep my foot on the pedal and keep going.”

Edwards had nine rebounds and six assists to go with his 43 points; most importantly, he kept making the right decisions when it came to late-game offense. He didn’t force shots when faced with two or three defenders, and that helped set up multiple buckets for Naz Reid (12 points, eight in the fourth), DiVincenzo (eight points, five steals) and Jaden McDaniels (16 points).

The Wolves’ closing lineup of Edwards, DiVincenzo, Reid, McDaniels and Julius Randle (25 points) again showed up huge as it did in Game 3.

“I huddled everybody up and told everybody like, ‘Hey, this is what they’re doing on defense. If we space like this and somebody cuts, it’s going to be wide open.’ They basically putting three people on me,” Edwards said in breaking down how he was processing the Lakers defense.

“If the middle dude just cuts, they’ve got one person to guard two people. That was pretty much what we did down the stretch.”

Edwards set up DiVincenzo for a driving layup and a three-point play that put the Wolves ahead 111-107 with 2:11 to play, but the Lakers took a 113-111 lead behind consecutive three-pointers from Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith, the latter with 1:29 remaining.

But the Lakers didn’t score again. With 40 seconds left, Edwards found Reid in the middle of the floor, and Reid found McDaniels open near the hoop since the Lakers had committed three players to guarding Edwards. McDaniels dunked it and Reaves fouled him for a three-point-play opportunity. McDaniels hit the free throw to put the Wolves ahead 114-113 with 39.5 remaining.

McDaniels then stole an inbound pass on the Lakers’ next possession.

“It’s just from us being here so many times, being in the playoffs, we gotta stay together and when we do stay together, we can come back from big leads,” McDaniels said.

BOXSCORE: Wolves 116, L.A. Lakers 113

That steal came after the Lakers called timeout when Doncic fell to the floor bringing the ball up against McDaniels. Redick said afterward Doncic was fouled. On the Wolves’ ensuing possession, Edwards drove to the hoop and lost the ball after officials said James deflected the ball out of his hands. The Wolves challenged the call and won when the replay showed James hitting Edwards’ wrist. James claimed afterward he got Edwards’ hand, which is considered part of the ball.

“As soon as it happened, I looked at the ref like, ‘We want to challenge it,’ ” Edwards said. “Because the ball, when I Euro-step, I put the ball all the way down there, and he swiped down at the ball and he can’t get to it. You’ve got to get my arm.”

Edwards hit the two free throws with 10.1 seconds left and the Wolves opted not to foul as Reaves missed a three from the right corner for the tie at the buzzer. After the game, Edwards went over to the normally stoic McDaniels and got him to laugh by punching him a couple of times in his stomach.

“When [Edwards is] watching film and making quick decisions and being himself, you can just see a different level of him being locked in,” DiVincenzo said. “Just being 23 and being able to do that is really special. And being able to listen to everybody. He doesn’t have to do that. He’s willing to do it to every single person on the team and that’s allowed us to be connected and be on another level.”

Backs against the wall, the Wolves again thrived when other teams might not. The disjointed start to the regular season, all the losses to teams lower in the standings, all the late-game struggles where it felt like they were beating their heads against a wall over and over making the same mistakes — those experiences brought the Wolves here, on the verge of knocking out two of the greats of the game in Game 5 on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

“We all stress out a little bit too much during the regular season, but rightfully so,” point guard Mike Conley said. “You worry in the regular season about moments like this. Coming up, we’re going to have them in Game 4s and 5s and deeper as we go in playoffs. So you have to keep learning as you go. … We’re learning right now.”

But they have also reaffirmed some things they already knew; that Edwards, at 23, is up to the moment in the postseason, and they should never feel like they are out of a game, no matter the score, no matter the star power on the other side.

“There wasn’t any panic. It’s been a hallmark of this team in the second half of the season,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “There’s been no panic. … The guys always have a belief they can come back.”