Timberwolves trip Lakers 116-104 as Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle lead the way

With more than three minutes to play, and the Timberwolves ahead by three, Anthony Edwards passed a screen Jaden McDaniels set for him, and his mind began to process what was in front of him. Dorian Finney-Smith of the Lakers was guarding him, and Edwards was hoping Luka Doncic would switch onto him.

What happened next was a peek into how Edwards processed the Los Angeles defense, which he mastered to lead the Wolves to a 116-104 victory Friday night in Game 3 of the first-round NBA playoff series at Target Center.

“They didn’t switch,” Edwards said. “I seen them about to double me, so I just tried to attack Luka. I got to the baseline and since the first game, they’ve been taking away the corners. I didn’t have to look at the wing, I knew somebody was on the wing, whether it was Naz [Reid] or Donte [DiVincenzo].

Standing there wide open, as Edwards thought, was Reid. He buried the open look for a 109-103 lead, part of a 13-1 Wolves run to close the night after the Lakers had tied the score 103-103 with 4:37 remaining.

The Wolves have struggled in clutch situations all season (20-26 in clutch games), but they were perfect Friday night when they had to be. They now have a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 on Sunday at Target Center.

“Our best closing effort of the year, no doubt, both sides of the ball,” said coach Chris Finch, who barely had a voice afterward.

Edwards found the right mix of creating for himself and for his teammates in those moments, something that didn’t always happen during the regular season. He finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

He wasn’t the only star on the night. Julius Randle got the Wolves through a rough stretch on offense in the second quarter with 22 points, while Jaden McDaniels had his second spectacular game of the series by tying his career high with 30 points, all while guarding a sick Doncic on the defensive end.

“Just a monster,” Finch said of McDaniels, while Edwards began his postgame remarks with, “I got two words for you: Jaden McDaniels.”

In a fitting play to cap the night, Edwards found McDaniels for a right corner three that provided the final margin, the only time either team led by double figures in a well-played, tightly-contested game. That three-pointer officially began the party for a Target Center crowd that was waiting for the Wolves to pull away all night.

The stoic, deadpan McDaniels made a few Wolves smile when he offered this take on the home crowd, which Edwards and Finch said were among the best they’ve seen in Minnesota

“It was better than the Lakers crowd, for sure,” McDaniels said. “They came out and did their job and we feed off their energy.”

Doncic played through a stomach bug to score 17 points on 6-for-16. The Lakers stayed close throughout the game thanks to a vintage performance form LeBron James, who had 38 points, including five threes.

“He did everything he could in his power to try to will them to a win,” Edwards said. “He was shooting from Yucatan. He was shooting it crazy. … It was fun to watch him, be competing against him today.”

It’s better when the Wolves are on the winning end of that. Edwards began that final run with a step back three, then came Reid’s three, which he was ready for, even if he wasn’t sure Edwards was going to find him.

“You never know what’s going to happen at any moment especially in the playoffs,” said Reid, who had 11 points. “You’ve got to be ready for anything at any moment.”

The Wolves defense hunkered down and made life difficult for Doncic, who couldn’t get a clean look. McDaniels played a big part in that, and Edwards marveled at what McDaniels could do on both ends of the floor while never looking fatigued.

“I told him maybe, like, two years ago, like, bruh, I don’t understand what type of shape you in. I don’t know what you do in the summertime. Because do he ever look tired to y’all?” Edwards said. “I mean, I know he don’t show no emotion. … it’s incredible on his behalf. Man, what he play tonight? 38 [minutes]. He could have played 48 minutes.”

James clanked one off the side of the backboard on what was otherwise a brilliant night for him. The Wolves forced 19 turnovers and the Lakers cooled down late on a night they shot 43% from three-point range. That provided the leeway for Edwards to dominate the final five minutes.

Finch made an important tactical decision at that time as well. After Doncic had scored four straight points against Rudy Gobert in isolation, Finch subbed Reid back in for Gobert and went with a Randle-Reid front court that gave the Wolves more offensive versatility while still maintaining their edge on defense.

Gobert did not take a shot in the game and had only three rebounds in 25 minutes.

“I wanted more aggressiveness into the ball [defensively]” Finch said. “Down at the other end of the floor we had a pretty good rhythm before that. It was easy to return to that.”

Perhaps that helped open up the floor a bit more for Edwards to do his thing. After a season of inconsistency in clutch time, the Wolves and Edwards picked the right moment to look like they figured it out.

“He was completely in control, and that’s what we’ve been wanting from him,” point guard Mike Conley said. “Tonight was a great step in the right direction for late game for us.”