In the NBA’s play-in tournament Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102, led by LeBron James’ 30 points and 10 rebounds. James’ co-star, Anthony Davis, was instrumental with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks.
As a team, the Lakers have struggled through virtually everything this season, so nobody was surprised when Davis committed a foul with 0.1 seconds left on the clock that allowed Minnesota’s Mike Conley to snag a playoff berth from their hands.
Just a couple of months ago, it would have seemed all but impossible for them to claim a postseason berth. A 3-point attempt by Conley was fouled by Davis, which led to his three clutch free throws, but the Lakers coolly rolled to their 10th win in 12 games. It starts on Sunday with a matchup against the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
“It took everything out of us to get to where we are, and it took more out of us tonight,” Davis said. “But we’ve got a couple of days before we go to Memphis to start preparing for them. It’s been a battle. It’s been an up-and-down season for us, but now is the time to show who we are, and we showed it tonight.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS SCORES: Los Angeles Lakers & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
At the trade deadline, the Lakers, which were 2-10 at the start of the season and six games below .500 at the end of regulation, clinched the win with two free throws with 8.4 seconds left. Schröder scored 21 points, making a tiebreaking 3-pointer on a pass from James with 1.4 seconds left in regulation.
“Once you get to the end of things, to have everyone healthy, to be playing in the type of rhythm we’re playing in, to defend at the level that we’re defending at, going into the most important time of the year, you can’t ask for a better situation,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
Even after Davis stepped on Conley’s toe after his 3-point attempt had already been released, the Wolves still forced overtime. The shooter in the corner was supposed to be guarded by Davis and James, but the assignment was mixed up.
“The play was between me and AD, and we discussed it on the bench, and then we moved forward,” James said. “We’ve still got five more minutes to play. That’s how we started overtime. We was able to recalibrate. Get our game back.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS SCORES: Los Angeles Lakers & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
After falling behind by 15 points midway through the fourth quarter, Los Angeles rallied to win it with defense. As Minnesota played without its starters Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels for the first three quarters, Conley scored 23 points.
After punching a wall in frustration during Sunday’s Minnesota-New Orleans game, Gobert is suspended for punching Anderson. McDaniels is out with a broken hand indefinitely. In their contest for eighth place and a first-round meeting with Denver, the Wolves won’t be without Karl-Anthony Towns, who poured in 24 points for them.
“We expected to win this game,” Conley said. “It’s disappointing to lose. We had a lead and let it slip. This should be a different postgame speech. … We’ve just got to be mentally and physically more engaged at the end, and we’ve got a couple of days to work on it.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS SCORES: Los Angeles Lakers & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
A scoreless fourth quarter ended Minnesota’s night after leading for most of the night. As Towns sat out with his fifth foul, Los Angeles began its comeback with a 3-pointer by Rui Hachimura on the opening possession of overtime.
With 2:36 remaining in overtime, Anthony Edwards’ dunk brought the Wolves within a point. After taking a fall in the second half, Edwards had tape applied to his left shoulder after scoring just nine points – more than 15 below his average.
He played a great game for Los Angeles against the team that traded him in February, which D’Angelo Russell had a nightmare game for. As the game progressed, Russell dished out eight assists but only scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting.
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