Timberwolves 116, Lakers 113: An Absolute Heart-Pounding Victory

A 14-0 Laker run almost spelled doom for the Wolves, but they fought all game and got the win to secure a 3-1 series lead.

On Friday, the Target Center crowd was electric, drawing praise from both players and coaches. On Sunday, they brought it to another level for Game 4 of the series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The opening quarter and a half of the game was a bit of a struggle offensively for the Wolves as they were unable to consistently make shots from both beyond the arc and in the paint. As has been the case the entire series, the Timberwolves’ defense kept them in the game during the rough offensive stretch.

With the Lakers up eight late in the second quarter, Anthony Edwards began to drag the Wolves’ offense out of the doldrums by driving to the lane, dishing to teammates, and finishing around the basket.

After trailing almost the entire first half, Minnesota took its first lead since the score was 5-2 on a pair of Edwards free throws with 1:28 remaining in the first half. It was an impressive stretch from the young superstar who, while playing well most of the series, had yet to have a truly dominant stretch.

The crowd reached its zenith right before the end of the second quarter when Julius Randle hit a stepback 3-pointer over Luka Dončić to give the Wolves a 61-58 halftime lead.

Coming out of the halftime locker room, the Wolves’ energy and execution were absolutely dreadful. The ball movement that got them back in the game disappeared, and the defensive rotations were a step slow, leading to a 14-0 Laker run, giving them their largest lead of the game at 11.

With the game on the brink of slipping away, the Wolves put together a 9-0 run to cut the lead back to two. Edwards had four of the points, with the other five coming off of offensive rebounds.

Just as it seemed like the Wolves were regaining momentum in the game, Dončić took control of the game, making tough shots and creating wide-open 3-pointers for his teammates. The Wolves’ defense eventually found its footing again, but not before the Lakers built a nine-point lead heading into clutch time in the fourth quarter.

With the Wolves needing offense, Chris Finch elected to bring Naz Reid back into the game. That decision immediately paid dividends as Naz scored five straight points to get the Wolves right back into the game.

The insanity of this game had only gotten started as the Wolves were able to build a four-point lead after a Donte DiVincenzo cutting and-1 layup. The Lakers would immediately respond with back-to-back 3-pointers from Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith to take a two-point lead with a minute left.

On the next possession, Edwards made the correct decision to pass the ball out of a double-team. The ball eventually found Jaden McDaniels, who slammed the ball home and hit the subsequent free throw to take the lead.

After a stop and a pair of Edwards free throws to put the Timberwolves up three with less than ten seconds left, the Lakers decided not to call a timeout and found Reaves wide open in the corner. With every fan’s heart in their throat, the 3-pointer bounced off the rim.

The Timberwolves won Game 4 by a final score of 116-113. Edwards was utterly sensational, scoring 43 points, including 14 free throws. Dončić was equally amazing, scoring 38 points while generating a ton of good shots for teammates.

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Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Key Takeaways

1. Chris Finch won the game with the decision to play Naz Reid down the stretch and close the game with him instead of Rudy Gobert. Gobert pulled down 10 rebounds, but had a rough day offensively and missed plenty of gimmes around the rim. That doesn’t go without tipping the cap to Finch. Reid was just as bad at that point, if not a worse game than Rudy.

Not only was he in foul trouble, but he was also having a hard time finishing at the basket and wasn’t seeing his shot fall. Heading into the fourth, Reid was 1-3 with four points and having a rough night defensively. But the trust was there, and he went on to have eight fourth-quarter points on 3-4 shooting, including the above clutch 3-pointer.

“I told [Naz], feel free to show up in the first three [quarters] anytime you like,” Finch joked after the game. “He was there when we needed him both offensively and defensively…timely baskets for sure.”

The Lakers sprung a few leaks in the Wolves’ defense late in the game, and it was pretty clear that offense was needed to wear down a team that made zero substitutions in the second half. Enter Naz.

“We went to him a couple times in a row…you just have to get him activated sometimes,” Finch said. “With the way they were switching, I thought he could get a matchup that he could take.”

It’s a bit of an evolution for Reid. Someone who scores in avalanches and can tend to be inconsistent at times, he has his signature 20+ point games in which everything seems to go in. That wasn’t the case tonight, and even though he strayed away from his typical pattern of scoring, he was essential in taking game four.

“[I stayed] with it, which is something I’ve been able to do throughout my career,” he said at the podium afterward. “This is one of the biggest moments of my career, and I’m just trying to grow and navigate as it goes on.”

2. The Anthony Edwards game was coming. We all knew it, and we got it on Sunday afternoon.

Heading into Sunday, Edwards had yet to crack 30 points in the series and was struggling to finish near the rim, and especially through contact. Much of that changed during the nationally televised matinee on Sunday. Ant finished with 43 points and carried the Wolves down the stretch in the fourth quarter, not caring who was guarding him or how many bodies were in front of him.

“He just took over in the second half,” Finch said. “Ant’s a special player and he had a special night…he and Julius had it going all night.”

The closing stretch has been a bugaboo for the Wolves all season long. Plagued by hero ball and contested shots when they aren’t needed, it’s been a spot in games that the 23-year-old has specifically struggled to find rhythm in all year long. Now successfully closing out two straight games, Edwards had no issues posting his 16 fourth-quarter points on an efficient 4-7 from the field, also drawing the game-sealing foul on LeBron James.

“Anytime I get open, shoot it,” Edwards said, elaborating on his mentality heading into the final frame. “I feel like we took their best punches throughout the game…I felt like they were gassed going down the stretch, and I tried to keep my foot on the pedal and keep going.”

Perhaps the best part of it all is Edwards’ 23 assists to 6 turnovers throughout the whole series, showing a much-improved ability to read defense and distribute the basketball without putting his team in jeopardy, something he’s struggled with at times this season and especially in the Western Conference Finals last season against Luka Doncic and Dallas.

“When the playoffs come around, you get a little more time to settle down,” he said in explaining his ability to improve that side of the game.

Edwards will have the ability to be a hero once again and close the series out in LA, perhaps having a couple more moments with LeBron similar to what he did with Kevin Durant last season.

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Up Next

With the win, the Wolves take a commanding 3-1 series win, needing just one more win to eliminate the Lakers. The series shifts back to Los Angeles and Crypto.com Arena for Game 5 on Wednesday.

It is another late-night start as Game 5 is scheduled to start at 9:00 PM CT. Fans can watch the game nationally on TNT or locally on FanDuel Sports Network.

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Game Highlights