The Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 3 of their first-round playoff series versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday because they were outscored 13-1 down the stretch after the score was tied at 103 with just over four minutes left. Once again, they had a golden opportunity to win a contest that was up for grabs on Sunday.
They established multiple leads in Game 4, which included a 72-61 lead after they scored the first 14 points of the third quarter. The Lakers were still ahead 94-84 going into the fourth quarter, but then Anthony Edwards started doing his best imitation of the late great Kobe Bryant, and that lead gradually disappeared.
Down the stretch, Los Angeles again made multiple miscues. LeBron James threw the ball away on an inbounds pass, and with 10.1 seconds left, Edwards drove to the basket and appeared to lose the ball off his own body. The Timberwolves challenged the call, and it was changed to a foul on James, which resulted in free throws for Edwards that were successful. Those were the final points scored in a 116-113 loss for L.A.
Edwards scored 16 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter, and yet again, L.A. was weak on the boards. It gave up 18 offensive rebounds, which turned into 20 second-chance points for the Timberwolves. The team was again outscored in the paint, this time by 18 points, and it was outscored in fast-break points by a 16-7 margin.
The Purple and Gold are now facing elimination just days after many had pegged them as legitimate championship contenders at the start of the series. Game 5 will be on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
Rui Hachimura: A
Finally, Hachimura had a performance where he more than pulled his own weight. He scored 10 points in the first half, which nearly equalled his highest scoring output in this series prior to Sunday, and he scored 10 more points in the third quarter as the Lakers temporarily took control.
Overall, he had 23 points on 9-of-16 field-goal shooting, and he made half of his 10 3-point attempts. He also contributed five rebounds and one assist.
Jaxson Hayes: C-minus
Yet again, Hayes had almost no impact. He did grab three rebounds and score two points in four minutes, but he checked out of the game with 7:39 left in the first quarter and was seemingly affixed to the bench with industrial-strength glue for the rest of the afternoon.
Interestingly, head coach JJ Redick went with the exact same lineup throughout the second half: Hachimura, James, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith. Redick had hinted after Game 3 that he was considering bunching Hayes.
Austin Reaves: C-plus/B-minus
Reaves was called for his third foul with 10:23 left in the second quarter. To that point, he was scoreless and had attempted just two shots. He got himself going afterward with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the third quarter, but when the Lakers needed him most, he was not there.
With his teammates shooting blanks down the stretch, he made just two of his seven shot attempts in the fourth quarter, and all seven of those attempts came from beyond the arc. He simply didn’t attack off the dribble the way he normally does, and while some of the credit should go to Minnesota’s defense, Reaves should’ve forced the issue more in that fashion.
He ended the afternoon with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He went a strong 5-of-12 from downtown, but that stat illustrated the lack of balance in his shot selection. He did also have seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in 35 minutes, although he missed the 3-point attempt that would’ve sent this game to overtime just before the final horn.
Luka Doncic: A-minus
Doncic wasn’t feeling well in Game 3 and shot just 6-of-16 after two excellent performances to start this series. He looked like he was back to his usual self early. He had 13 points in the first quarter, and while he shot well from the outside early, he did plenty of his damage near the basket.
He continued his onslaught and had 31 points through three quarters. But like Reaves, his shooting went cold in the fourth quarter, as he made just one of his six shot attempts during that time.
The Slovenian was involved in one of the game’s most controversial moments in crunch time. With 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter, he brought the ball upcourt and appeared to get tripped by Jaden McDaniels. No foul was called, and Doncic lost his balance. The Lakers were forced to call their final timeout, which left them without one after Edwards’ late free throws that put them down by three.
LeBron James: A-minus
Yet again, at the age of 40 and near the end of his 22nd season, James laughed in the face of Father Time.
He looked energetic early and scored nine points in the first 7:13 of the first quarter. He took only five shots in the first quarter, but he led everyone with 22 points in the first half by going 12-of-14 from the free throw line before halftime. Overall, he went 15-of-18 from the charity stripe, which allowed him to score 27 points while attempting just nine field goals. He also finished with 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks in 46 strenuous minutes.
Two of his blocks came in the final two minutes as he desperately tried to do what he could to tie the series.
But James wasn’t immune to the yips in crunch time. The inbounds pass he threw away late in the game was inexcusable, and he missed a 3-pointer with just under a minute left that would’ve put his team ahead by five points. In the fourth quarter, he went scoreless and didn’t get to the free throw line a single time.
Dorian Finney-Smith: B/B-plus
Finney-Smith shot just 2-of-7 from the field, but one has to commend his overall effort, especially since he played 41 minutes, which is much more than he’s used to getting. He had eight rebounds and a surprising six assists, and he hit a big 3-pointer with 1:29 left to give the Lakers a 113-111 lead.
Gabe Vincent: D
Vincent played 13 minutes, with all of them coming in the first half, and he missed both of his shot attempts and went scoreless. He only contributed one rebound and one steal.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin: Incomplete
Perhaps the Lakers should’ve played Vanderbilt and Goodwin a bit in the second half, if for no other reason than to give their five ironmen a bit of a blow. Vanderbilt and Goodwin played seven minutes apiece, and both went scoreless while chipping in two rebounds apiece.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. blows it again in crunch time
The Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 3 of their first-round playoff series versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday because they were outscored 13-1 down the stretch after the score was tied at 103 with just over four minutes left. Once again, they had a golden opportunity to win a contest that was up for grabs on Sunday.
They established multiple leads in Game 4, which included a 72-61 lead after they scored the first 14 points of the third quarter. The Lakers were still ahead 94-84 going into the fourth quarter, but then Anthony Edwards started doing his best imitation of the late great Kobe Bryant, and that lead gradually disappeared.
Down the stretch, Los Angeles again made multiple miscues. LeBron James threw the ball away on an inbounds pass, and with 10.1 seconds left, Edwards drove to the basket and appeared to lose the ball off his own body. The Timberwolves challenged the call, and it was changed to a foul on James, which resulted in free throws for Edwards that were successful. Those were the final points scored in a 116-113 loss for L.A.
Edwards scored 16 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter, and yet again, L.A. was weak on the boards. It gave up 18 offensive rebounds, which turned into 20 second-chance points for the Timberwolves. The team was again outscored in the paint, this time by 18 points, and it was outscored in fast-break points by a 16-7 margin.
The Purple and Gold are now facing elimination just days after many had pegged them as legitimate championship contenders at the start of the series. Game 5 will be on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
Rui Hachimura: A
Finally, Hachimura had a performance where he more than pulled his own weight. He scored 10 points in the first half, which nearly equalled his highest scoring output in this series prior to Sunday, and he scored 10 more points in the third quarter as the Lakers temporarily took control.
Overall, he had 23 points on 9-of-16 field-goal shooting, and he made half of his 10 3-point attempts. He also contributed five rebounds and one assist.
Jaxson Hayes: C-minus
Yet again, Hayes had almost no impact. He did grab three rebounds and score two points in four minutes, but he checked out of the game with 7:39 left in the first quarter and was seemingly affixed to the bench with industrial-strength glue for the rest of the afternoon.
Interestingly, head coach JJ Redick went with the exact same lineup throughout the second half: Hachimura, James, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith. Redick had hinted after Game 3 that he was considering bunching Hayes.
Austin Reaves: C-plus/B-minus
Reaves was called for his third foul with 10:23 left in the second quarter. To that point, he was scoreless and had attempted just two shots. He got himself going afterward with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the third quarter, but when the Lakers needed him most, he was not there.
With his teammates shooting blanks down the stretch, he made just two of his seven shot attempts in the fourth quarter, and all seven of those attempts came from beyond the arc. He simply didn’t attack off the dribble the way he normally does, and while some of the credit should go to Minnesota’s defense, Reaves should’ve forced the issue more in that fashion.
He ended the afternoon with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting. He went a strong 5-of-12 from downtown, but that stat illustrated the lack of balance in his shot selection. He did also have seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in 35 minutes, although he missed the 3-point attempt that would’ve sent this game to overtime just before the final horn.
Luka Doncic: A-minus
Doncic wasn’t feeling well in Game 3 and shot just 6-of-16 after two excellent performances to start this series. He looked like he was back to his usual self early. He had 13 points in the first quarter, and while he shot well from the outside early, he did plenty of his damage near the basket.
He continued his onslaught and had 31 points through three quarters. But like Reaves, his shooting went cold in the fourth quarter, as he made just one of his six shot attempts during that time.
The Slovenian was involved in one of the game’s most controversial moments in crunch time. With 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter, he brought the ball upcourt and appeared to get tripped by Jaden McDaniels. No foul was called, and Doncic lost his balance. The Lakers were forced to call their final timeout, which left them without one after Edwards’ late free throws that put them down by three.
LeBron James: A-minus
Yet again, at the age of 40 and near the end of his 22nd season, James laughed in the face of Father Time.
He looked energetic early and scored nine points in the first 7:13 of the first quarter. He took only five shots in the first quarter, but he led everyone with 22 points in the first half by going 12-of-14 from the free throw line before halftime. Overall, he went 15-of-18 from the charity stripe, which allowed him to score 27 points while attempting just nine field goals. He also finished with 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks in 46 strenuous minutes.
Two of his blocks came in the final two minutes as he desperately tried to do what he could to tie the series.
But James wasn’t immune to the yips in crunch time. The inbounds pass he threw away late in the game was inexcusable, and he missed a 3-pointer with just under a minute left that would’ve put his team ahead by five points. In the fourth quarter, he went scoreless and didn’t get to the free throw line a single time.
Dorian Finney-Smith: B/B-plus
Finney-Smith shot just 2-of-7 from the field, but one has to commend his overall effort, especially since he played 41 minutes, which is much more than he’s used to getting. He had eight rebounds and a surprising six assists, and he hit a big 3-pointer with 1:29 left to give the Lakers a 113-111 lead.
Gabe Vincent: D
Vincent played 13 minutes, with all of them coming in the first half, and he missed both of his shot attempts and went scoreless. He only contributed one rebound and one steal.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin: Incomplete
Perhaps the Lakers should’ve played Vanderbilt and Goodwin a bit in the second half, if for no other reason than to give their five ironmen a bit of a blow. Vanderbilt and Goodwin played seven minutes apiece, and both went scoreless while chipping in two rebounds apiece.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. blows it again in crunch time
