The virus crippling Doncic and, therefore, the Lakers

The fairy tale is fading for the Los Angeles Lakers. As their playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves progresses, the glow has dimmed - shifting from gold to ochre. This isn’t even about heightened tension, though the physical battle remains a defining element.

After being steamrolled in Game 1, J.J. Redick’s Lakers found adjustments in Game 2 to even the series. But Game 3 opened a new chapter: one where repeating mistakes is as costly as forcing the opponent into theirs.

What Lakers need to bounce back

And right now, the Lakers need more than adjustments – they need a jolt. A literal charge of energy. There must be more players willing – or able - to shoulder the burden that remains squarely on the backs of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. One or the other. But in this one, it was all LeBron, forced into superhero mode after Doncic, battling a stomach virus, was reduced to a shell of himself, especially during a zombie-like first half.

The Lakers needed this game in Minnesota to steal back home-court advantage, but instead, they fell 116-104. And with that, the Timberwolves now lead the series 2-1. Game 4 looms large on Sunday. But for now, Minnesota holds the upper hand.

Lakers turnover troubles and limited options

The Lakers dragged early turnovers like a chain throughout the night. They rallied, flirted with equilibrium for stretches, but ultimately succumbed to the depth and freshness of Minnesota, who danced through a wider array of options. Outside of Austin Reaves, the supposed third piece in this puzzle, there was little else to count on. The Lakers’ offensive flow ebbs and flows by the day, and without Doncic at full strength, the cracks were impossible to paper over.

Edwards dominates as Wolves tighten grip

On the other side, Anthony Edwards is making his ascendancy undeniable. No camera needs to search for him – he finds them. While Vanderbilt and company managed to disrupt him in Game 2, this night belonged to Edwards: 29 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and most importantly, a sense of control. When Minnesota iced the game with a 13-1 run, it was Edwards scoring or assisting on every possession. This is the player many in the U.S. want as the next face of the NBA.

And Minnesota’s nerves? For now, they’re holding steady. The Wolves have talent to burn, sometimes overwhelming, sometimes raw – but undeniably present. Even in their Game 2 loss, they forced the Lakers to the brink. Now, with the rotational strength of Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker bolstering the starters, they have the pieces to close this series.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Stats

3 Jaden McDaniels
30 Julius Randle
27 Rudy Gobert
10 Mike Conley
5 Anthony Edwards
9 Nickeil Alexander-Walker
22 Jaylen Clark
0 Donte DiVincenzo
55 Luka Garza
7 Joe Ingles
33 Leonard Miller
8 Josh Minott
11 Naz Reid
0 Terrence Shannon Jr.

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
3 Jaden McDaniels	38	30	5	3	2	1	1	2	0	3/4	12/17	1/5	0	2	0
30 Julius Randle	40	22	5	0	5	4	2	1	0	9/10	5/9	1/4	0	2	0
27 Rudy Gobert	25	1	3	1	2	1	1	2	1	1/4	0/0	0/0	0	2	0
10 Mike Conley	21	9	3	1	2	4	0	1	0	0/0	3/5	1/1	0	2	0
5 Anthony Edwards	42	29	8	2	6	8	2	2	1	0/0	7/16	5/10	0	2	0
9 Nickeil Alexander-Walker	13	4	3	0	3	2	1	1	0	1/2	0/1	1/3	0	1	0
22 Jaylen Clark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Donte DiVincenzo	30	10	5	1	4	4	1	1	3	0/0	2/5	2/8	0	4	0
55 Luka Garza	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
7 Joe Ingles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
33 Leonard Miller	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
8 Josh Minott	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
11 Naz Reid	27	11	6	1	5	0	0	0	0	1/1	2/2	2/5	0	4	0
0 Terrence Shannon Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

28 Rui Hachimura
23 LeBron James
11 Jaxson Hayes
77 Luka Dončić
15 Austin Reaves
17 Dorian Finney-Smith
30 Jordan Goodwin
9 Bronny James Jr.
4 Dalton Knecht
27 Alex Len
20 Shake Milton
88 Markieff Morris
2 Jarred Vanderbilt
7 Gabe Vincent

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
28 Rui Hachimura	37	8	4	0	4	2	3	1	1	0/0	1/3	2/4	0	5	0
23 LeBron James	41	38	10	3	7	4	1	2	2	7/10	8/12	5/9	0	0	0
11 Jaxson Hayes	8	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/2	0/0	0	1	0
77 Luka Dončić	39	17	7	0	7	8	5	1	1	3/4	4/8	2/8	0	3	0
15 Austin Reaves	41	20	7	1	6	4	4	0	1	1/2	2/7	5/11	0	3	0
17 Dorian Finney-Smith	28	8	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0/0	1/2	2/4	0	3	0
30 Jordan Goodwin	11	3	2	1	1	0	0	1	1	1/2	1/2	0/1	0	2	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	0	0
27 Alex Len	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
20 Shake Milton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
88 Markieff Morris	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	12	3	5	0	5	0	1	0	1	1/2	1/1	0/0	0	5	0
7 Gabe Vincent	15	5	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	1/2	0	1	0