Lakers 104 vs 116 Timberwolves Game 3 summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoffs
The game was tied with 4:37 left to go in the fourth quarter, but Minnnesota went on a 13-1 run to end the game and take the 2-1 series lead. Anthony Edwards closed the game out with this three and ended his shift with 29, 8 and 8.
MIN lead 2-1 and now the Lakers might be in a world of hurt. They need the next one from Minnesota on Sunday, but the Timberwolves will be looking to head back to LA with a 3-1 lead.
LeBron went into sicko mode hitting three threes in a row to claw the Lakers back and it looked like momentum had shifted thanks to the King who ended the night with 38, 10 and 4 assists but the T'Wolves were saving the best for last.
Thee pointers were the story of Game 1 when MIN hit 21 of 42 threes. The T'Wolves weren't as hot from downtown but they hit some big ones down the stretch. Donte DiVincenzo got fancy in the corner and drained this one for three of his 10 points.
The third quarter was dominated by the T'Wolves who started the half on an 11-2 run, but the Lakers would come battling back. Luka fought through his illness and put up 17 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists but it wasn't enough down the stretch.
Turnovers were a big problem for the Lakers in Game 3. The defense from Minnesota was sweltering and LA gave up loads of points off those give aways. None were more spectacular than this baseline jam from Anthony Edwards.
Julius Randle was brought to this team for moments like this. He has that edge and that dog in him that the T'Wolves were hoping to see in the playoffs and he has been great in this series so far. He had 22, 5 and 4 in the win and had tremendous energy on both ends of the floor.
ANT did what he did in the first game, getting everyone involved early and then worry about getting his buckets. He didn't have an assist last game, and admitted there was some confusion with the looks LA gave him, but there was no confusion on Friday night.
The T'Wolves got going early and had the lead at the end of the first quarter but this game was tight the entire way. The largest lead was the one Minnesota ended the game with but it was a single digit game all night.
Luka Doncic came into the game feeling the effects of a stomach bug and was visibly affected by the illness. He wasn't his usual dominant self so that meant LeBron had to take the stage. The 40 year old showed he can still put a team on his back in the playoffs when he needs to and almost carried his team to victory.
The T'Wolves wanted to get out and play their brand of basketball and they were able to do so thanks to their brilliant defense. That sparked McDaniels and the rest of the crew on the other end.
The Minnesota Timberwolves came home to the Target Center for a crucial Game 3 and came out with a massive win in a game that was tight until the end. Jaden McDaniels led the T'Wolves with 30 points and Anthony Edwards had another incredible game in the 116-104 win.
McDaniels was the key of the T'Wolves first win in the series opener, and he was back to his best in Game 3 on Friday night. He came out of the gate hitting his first four field goals and had 8 points at the end of the first quarter.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The Minnesota Timberwolves take the series lead with a gutty performance as they outlast LeBron and Lakers.
McDaneils adds the cherry on top with the corner jumper in the corner, and they lead by 12 after a 13-1 run!!!
Edwards with the step back from the top of the key and he drills it and just iced this game!!!
Timeout Lakers with 38.2 to go.
LeBron misses a three ball from the wing. Timeout MIN with 1:14 to go in the 4th.
The call is overturned and the foul is taken off the board. MIN ball with 2:00 to go.
Hachimura was fouled by Edwards and the T'Wolves are going to challenge the call with 2:05 to go in the 4th.
Edwards squeezes through two defenders and lays it up over LeBron
Reaves to the line after the foul on DiVincenzo and he hits one of two FTs with 2:40 to go.
Edwards kicks it out and Reid hits the open three from the wing!!
Reaves misses a three ball and MIN take a timeout with 3:16 to go.
Lakers take a timeout with 3:35 to go in the 4th quarter.
Edwards with a big triple out of the timeout. He hits it from the top of the key over Luka and the lead is up to 3.
Doncic goes right at Gobert and he floats it up and over the Frenchman from the baseline.
Timeout MIN with 4:37 to go.
Luka to the line after the foul on Gobert and he hits both FTs with 5:12 to go.
LeBron is stripped by McDaniels and he takes it down the lane in traffic and lays it up and in and gets the foul! FT is good after the foul on Hachimura!
James with a quick trigger from near the logo and he has three threes in the las few minutes!!!
James with back to back three balls, this one from the top of the key! That's 35 for LeBron!!!
Conley drives and kicks to Reid and he drills his first three ball of the night from the corner!
James pulls the trigger from the wing and drills the three ball! He's got 32.
Hachimura lost the ball and McDaniels scooped it and took it for a transition slam!
Randle into the lane and he hits the short shot. He's got 22 on the night.
Goodwin with a baseline jumper out of the timeout and he hits the mid range jumper.
Long offensive board for Conley and he banks the three in from a tight angle!
Timeout Lakers with 9:26 to go in the 4th.
LeBron got fouled on the tip slam attempt and he goes to the line where he hits two FTs after the foul on Reid.
DiVincenzo on the step back and he drills it from the corner!!
Conley off the curl and Randle hit him for the lay up in the lane.
Vincent goes coast to coast and lays it up to start the fourth.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE FINAL QUARTER OF GAME 3 HERE FROM MINNESOTA!!!
Alexander-Walker to the line after the foul on Vanderbilt and he hits one of two FT.
Doncic forces up a shot in the corner and he drills the three ball over Randle!
Finney-Smith in the corner off the feed from James and he hits the three ball!
DiVincenzo pulls up in the paint and he hits the short jumper.
Alexander-Walker strips Vanderbilt after the rebound and he finds Randle who lays it up and gets the foul! FT is good after the foul on Vanderbilt.
Timeout Lakers with 2:51 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Reaves with the offensive board off the missed three from Luka and he finds Vincent open on the wing for three!
Gobert stripped Luka this time and McDaniels scooped it, laid it up and got the foul! FT is good after the foul on Luka.
McDaniels to the line after the foul on Hachimura and he hits one of two FTs.
Hachimura from the top of the key and he gets the three ball to drop!
Edwards with the steal after Luka got the rebound and he turns on the baseline and slams it home!
Reaves puts his head down and lays it up and in off the glass.
McDaniels missed the mid range jumper but DiVincenzo was there for the tip in.
Doncic pulls up from the FT line and he gets the friendly roll off the rim.
Edwards blows past Luka and finger rolls it in down the lane.
Reaves on the pump fake and three ball from the wing out of the timeout!
Conley sinks the three ball off the feed from McDaniels and we'll head to a timeout with 6:55 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Lakers runing the break after forcing a turnover and Reaves lobs it up for LeBron on the alley oop!
Randle was left open and Edwards found him for the three ball from the top of the key! He's got 17 on the night.
Edwards drills the three ball from the wing off the dish from Conley.
McDaniels driving baseline and he lays it up and in off the glass.
Pick and roll from Hayes and Doncic and he slipped it to the big man for the lay up.
McDaniels stops in the paint and he hits the short pull up.
James fouled by Conley on the three ball and he hits all three FTs.
Edwards starts the quarter with a three ball from the top of the key.
WE ARE BACK IN MINNESOTA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!
McDaniels has 14 points which is tied for the T'Wolves lead with Randle and ANT has 12 at the break.
LUka's got just 8 points and is 1/5 from three point range, but even when he's sick he's capable of incredible shots like this one.
LeBron isn't the only one that has the extra burden with Luka under the weather. Reaves has stepped up so far. He's got 14 points at the break.
The T'Wolves got off to a nice start and led for most of the first quarter thanks to 8 early points from McDaniels, but LeBron took over in the 2nd quarter. He's got 22 and 6 rebounds after 24 minutes
LeBron James looks like he's in take over mode tonight and he might have to be all night. Luka is sick with a stomach bug and playing through the illness but it's going to be up James to carry LA tonight.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST HALF WITH THE LAKERS LEADING BY 4!!!
Doncic with a turn around three ball from the wing and that goes for his first three ball of the night!!
Randle to the line after the foul on Vincent and he hits both FTs.
Clock was running down and LeBron hit Reaves who hit the three ball from next to the T'Wolves logo!
Edwards rattles home a three ball from the wing off the dish from Randle!
James on the third chance after Reaves and Hayes missed close range buckets and he gets the tip in and the foul! FT is no good after the foul on Alexander-Walker.
Edwards misses the lay up but McDaniels was there with the tip in.
Timeout Lakers with 2:12 to go in the first half.
Reaves pulls up and hits it from the elbow.
McDaniels drives baseline and throws it down with a two handed flush!
Goodwin to the line after the foul on DiVincenzo and he hits one of two FTs.
Randle with the floater over Vanderbilt, took the bump and got the bucket! FT is good.
Vanderbilt to the line after the foul on McDaniels and he hits one of two FTs.
Randle to the line after the foul on Doncic and he hits one of two FTs.
Luka to the line after the foul on Reid and he hits one of two FTs.
Doncic with a pump fake and baseline jumper from the mid range.
McDaniels back to the rack and he slashes through defenders to lay it up and in.
James with his patented sidestep and he drains the three ball from the wing!!
LeBron to the line after the foul on Reid and he hits one of two FTs. He's got 17 already.
Edwards to the cup and DiVincenzo found him for the lay up.
LeBron pulls up in transition and he drills it from the top of the key!
LeBron to the line and he hits one of two FTs after the foul on Reid.
Edwards goes glass from inside the paint. He's got 3 assists already and might be wanting to get into his scoring groove.
James ties it up with a pull up jumper from the mid range.
Reaves drills a three ball on the catch and shoot off the dish from Finney-Smith.
LeBron down the lane and he lays it up and off the glass. He looks like he wants to take this game over early with Luka under the weather with a stomach bug.
LeBron follows up his own rebound and puts it up and in.
Reid running the break and he lays it up and in and gets the foul on Reaves! FT is good.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER!!!
McDaniels came out hot for the T'Wolves with 8 points as Minnesota leads by 6 after the first quarter.
Doncic missed the shot as the clock was winding down but Finney-Smith tips it in as the buzzer sounds and that's how the first quarter ends.
Randle to the line after the foul on Finney-Smith and he hits both FTs.
Alexander-Walker off the bench and onto the scoreboard with a three ball from the corner off the dish from DiVincenzo.
Reaves on the drive and he lobs it up for Vanderbilt on the alley oop.
Reaves drills the three ball from the wing out of the timeout!
Randle bounces it to Randle on the baseline and he puts it in from under the basket.
Timeout Lakers with 2:33 to go in the first quarter.
Reid battling for the offensive rebound after the missed three from McDaniels and he gets the put back to go.
Luka with the skip pass to the corner and Finney-Smith drills the three ball!
DiVincenzo hits a deep three ball off the behind the back dribble from the top of the key!
McDaniels into traffic and he gets he tough lay up to go. He's 4/4 to start the game.
LeBron takes a dribble from the arc, and hits the deep two from the corner.
Gobert to the line after the foul on Hachimura and he hits one of two FTs.
Gobert with the stuff on Gobert on one end and Edwards throws it down hard on the other end!
Luka kick out to Reaves on the break and he drills the three ball from the corner!
Luka opens his account with a step back mid range jumper from the baseline.
James running the break and he goes right to the cup to break up the little T'WOlves run.
McDaniels stops on a dime and pulls up in the lane before going off the glass.
McDaniels gets past Luka and he lays it up and in at the iron.
Edwards pulls the trigger from the wing and he drills the three ball to open his account.
The call is overturned so MIN get the ball and keep their timeout.
Ball out of bounds and it was given to LA but the T'Wolves are going to challenge the call early in this game.
Randle to the cup and he lays it up and in to give MIN their first lead of the night.
McDaniels to the cut and he had to do some mid air acrobatics to get the to go.
James finds Hachimura posting up and he lays it up and in.
Conley spins in the lane and floats it over Hayes.
LeBron gets himself on the board with a fader from inside the elbow.
Reaves sends Randle to the line where he hits both FTs. He had 27 last game, and is looking for another big game tonight.
Hachimura drills a three ball to get us going after Luka hit him in the corner.
GAME 3 IS UNDERWAY FROM MINNESOTA!!!
TIP OFF TO GAME 3 IS JUST MOMENTS AWAY FROM MINNESOTA!!!
Starting five
Chris Finch is repeating his first five from Games 1 and 2. These guys set the tone in Game 1, but came out slow in Game 2. They need to come out and get the crowd into the game early on. It's Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Randle and Gobert starting off for the T'Wolvs in Minnesota.
Lakers first five
JJ Reidick is going with the same starting five as the first 2 games. Luka has come out hot in both games, but he is going to need some help from his guys in the first quarter of tonight's match up in Minnesota. It's Hachimura, Luka, LeBron, Reaves and Hayes out of the gate in Game 3.
T'Wolves three point shooting
The T’Wolves are back at home, under their own roof and will look to get back to making it rain from downtown like they did in the series opener. They hit 21 of 42 threes in Game 1 as Naz Reid hit 6 threes, ANT and Randle had 4 while McDaniels went 3/3 from downtown. Last game Randle and Edwards had 2 a piece to lead the T’Wolves in Game 2, as they went just 5/25 from downtown. Tonight the three point stat line is going to be one of the things to look out for in this all important Game 3.
Luka's patented brand of ball
Luka has a unique style of play. While the T’Wolves like to push the pace and get other teams to play their uptempo rhythm. Luka is the anti-T’wolves. He is never in a rush. He is never in a hurry. He gets to his spots on the floor when and where he needs to, and when the double team comes he is able to find the open man. There are some who criticize his way of playing, but JJ Redick knows the best way to neutralize what Minnesota does well is to let Luka set the tone and dictate the pace.
Lakers injury report
Good news for the Lakers coming into tonight: they have a clean injury report and JJ Redick, like Chris Finch is going to have a full roster available. The Lakers obviously rely on their two big stars, Luka and LeBron but they can’t afford to see anyone go down. They are much thinner than the T’Wolves are went it comes to bench depth, especially in the paint. Jaxson Hayes and Jared Vanderbilt are the only ones that get big minutes on this admittedly small line up.
Injury report: T'Wolves
The T’Wolves run and gun. They are physical. They are like to pressure other teams into forcing shots and turning the ball over. That is taxing over the course of an 82 game season and into the playoffs. Luckily they come into the night with no injuries and a full deck of cards. They are going to need it against LeBron, Luka and the Lakers.
Falling stars
We have seen some big stars take some big spills and have to leave games over the last few days. First it was Jason Tatum with the Celtics, then it was Jimmy Butler who suffered a pelvic contusion against the Rockets, and last night it was Ja Morant going down and leaving the game against the OKC Thunder. These first round series have been tight, they have been physical and unfortunately some of the game’s biggest stars are paying the price. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that no one has to leave the game tonight.
LA adjustments
The Lakers threw some different defensive looks at Anthony Edwards and he admitted that it was confusing. First of all, the intensity the Lakers played with was different. It was a must win game, and LA needed to play the way they did. The intensity wasn’t the only thing that was different, they came up with a little zone look that seemed to throw ANT off. “I don’t know. It seemed like every time I caught the ball, they kind of went into a zone in a sense. It was kind of confusing at times, but we’ll watch film and be ready.” JJ Redick is in his first year as an NBA coach but he looked like a vet with the moves he made in Game 2. Now it’s time to build upon what they did last game because coach Finch and the T’Wolves will have some adjustments for tonight’s match up.
Star watch: T’Wolves
This T’Wolves team has plenty of options on the offensive end. Last game it was Julius Randle taking charge and dropping 27 points, but they are at their best when Anthony Edwards is running the show. He had 22, 8 and 9 in the first game, and his coach Chris Finch said after the game that he thinks Edwards is at his best when he hovers around a triple double rather than score 30 or 40 points. Last game he did neither and said he was thrown by some of the looks the Lakers threw at him. Tonight he’s going to get back to playing like the superstar he is, like in Game 1.
Star watch: Lakers
There has been no stopping Luka Doncic in this series, or since he became a Laker. He had a couple of quiet nights in his first few games in purple and gold, but that can be chalked up to a nagging calf strain as it could with finding his place in the Lakers system. He was quickly back to his best, and finished out the regular season averaging 28 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the 28 games he played after the trade. He put up 37 points in his playoff debut with the Lakers, but had just 1 assist. Last game he spread the floor when he needed to and got his shots when he needed to. That’s when the Lakers are at their best, when Luka is doing a little bit of everything, and that’s what they need from him in Game 3.
Game 2 recap
There were a few things that changed in Game 1 and Game 2. First of all the T’Wolves weren’t scorching from the perimeter in Game 2 like they were in Game 1. The defense played much better and the Lakers were able to neutralize their speed and their athleticism by slowing the pace down and playing in the half court. Luka had another brilliant 30 point performance, but unlike Game 1 when he had just one assist, he flirted with a triple double posting 31, 12 and 9 assists. The T’Wolves intensity wasn’t as turned up as we saw in the first game, which is natural after getting the opener on the road, but the Lakers took a 19 point lead in the first quarter and kept Minnesota at a comfortable distance until the finish line.
We are live from Minnesota
Hello everyone and welcome to the Target Center where the Minnesota Timberwolves are at home for the first time this postseason after taking home court advantage away from the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1. The Lakers drew even in Game 2 after a brilliant performance from Luka Doncic and that sets up this can’t miss match up tonight from Minnesota. Will the T’Wolves take care of business at home or will the Lakers take home court back in the first of two match ups coming up from Minnesota this weekend?
Lakers vs. Timberwolves
The series is all square after two games in Los Angeles and now we head north for the next two matchups. Each team dominated a game a piece and now it’s time for the all important Game 3 from Minnesota as the Timberwolves host the Los Angeles Lakers and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s massive matchup from the Target Center.