Lakers’ Old Issues Resurface in Game Three Loss to Timberwolves

It seems, for the high-seeded Lakers, the Timberwolves are not going to be an easy out after all. While Los Angeles went into the series riding high on a combination of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, those early expectations have come crashing back down to the harsh world of reality.

(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

While the team bounced back after losing a tough game one, all of their adjustments that led to that victory fell by the wayside in a rather disappointing game three.

Where the Lakers came out strong in game two and used their stars to execute a focused, two-way plan, game three was a different story.

On Friday night they let the Timberwolves dictate the pace, put up good shots, and now find themselves with their backs against the wall.

Too Many Mistakes

As great as the Lakers played in game two, they knew going to Minnesota would provide several challenges. The Timberwolves are a young, hungry team with a lot to prove. It’s also always harder to win games on the road. Both of those quickly became problems.

In a stark contrast to their recent win, the Lakers came out flat

Getting little help from their bench and relying too much on hero-ball, they fell behind six at the end of the first quarter. They quickly rebounded in the second, and ended the first half with a four point lead.

In the second half, things quickly fell apart

While James and Doncic both had big showings, the Lakers defense could not keep up with Minnesota. The Timberwolves drove hard, made smart plays, and allowed their best players to find a groove.

Jaden McDaniels ended the night with 30 points, Anthony Edwards had 29, and Julius Randle put up 22

Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo both scored in the double digits as well. That wide spread pushed the Timberwolves ahead of the Lakers as time wound down.

The home team took the third quarter by six points and the fourth by ten, going on to win the game 116-104. It was an impressive showing by the lower seed.

It was also a bad look for Los Angeles, who seem to now have an inconsistency issue.

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More of the Same

The Timberwolves were able to take game one in Los Angeles because they had a solid plan: ignore the stars and shut down everyone else.

James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves all had solid nights, but without any support Los Angeles could find an offensive rhythm.

To combat that, the Lakers played a lot more team ball in game two

They also pressed hard against Minnesota, kept them from getting into the paint, and allowed their bench players to step up. In game three, they reverted back and let the Timberwolves control their flow.

As in the first contest, the Lakers had big nights from their top three while everyone else faded into the background.

James ended up with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Reaves had 20/7/4, and Doncic had 17/7/8.

Those three stat lines are great, but nobody else contributed

The next highest scorers on the night were Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith. They both had eight. That’s a huge gap and shows how vulnerable the Lakers are when their role players aren’t producing.

“In the postseason, obviously you’re not gonna play a perfect game,” James said

“But the more that you make mistakes on top of mistakes on top of mistakes, things that can be controlled, then it’s not gonna give you an opportunity to be in the best possible chance to win.”

A Need to Flip the Switch

The Lakers had a lot of hope coming out of game two. Not only did they look like the better team, but everyone on the floor and sideline made changes that led to a solid win. Those changes were completely reversed in game three.

That’s concerning because it shows Los Angeles may not have learned from their mistakes after all

They once again became too focused on their big three and slipped back into the style of play that allowed the Timberwolves to take over.

LA committed 19 turnovers, while also giving up nine offensive rebounds and 10 points in transition. Those small mistakes add up, especially when playing in the postseason.

It’s something they need to fix, and they need to fix it fast

While Doncic, who missed the first 50 seconds of the third quarter, was a bit under the weather, he was far from the problem. The Lakers are a team propped up by splashy play and big stars.

If that’s not working, they might not be moving on after all.

“We got to control the controllables,” James said after game three. “And I don’t think we did that tonight, obviously…We gotta control the controllables, and if we do, we give ourselves a chance to win.”