The Los Angeles Lakers are on thier heels with their backs against the wall following their 116-113 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of their first-round series, which put the Lakers down 3-1 in the series.
The Lakers didn’t sub at all in the second half, which Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards commented on after the game. “I felt like they were gassed going down the stretch,” Edwards said, per ESPN. “So just trying to keep my foot on the pedal and keep going.”
LeBron pushed back on the idea that their late-game struggles were the result of fatigue or tired legs.
“We got some really good looks,” James, who finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, said. “Luka [Doncic] missed a point-blank layup to put us up seven. I missed a point-blank layup to put us up four.
“We had a couple opportunities. I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with that. Just missing some point-blank shots, you know? We were getting into what we wanted to get into. We just weren’t able to convert.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick also discussed his decision to play the same players the entire second half.
“I asked them at the beginning of the fourth quarter [how they were doing] and told them we had two extra timeouts,” Redick said. “‘If you need a sub, let us know.’ Those guys gave a lot.”
Still, it’s tough to count out any team with Luka Doncic and LeBron James out of it, especially after watching James win the Finals following a 3-1 deficit in 2016.
