New poster of the most capitals in the West, between wolves (7th) and Lakers (9th) who dream of reaching the playoffs without going through the play-in box.
The road to 6th place will certainly be perilous, but the “Purple & Gold” are in any case giving themselves the means to believe it, since they record in Minneapolis a fifth victory in six games (123-111), in the wake of of a huge Anthony Davis (38 points, 17 rebounds). So huge, but above all heroic, because “AD” injured his ankle during the third quarter and we immediately thought he would not succeed in coming back into play afterwards.
Except that inside Los Angeles replayed with gritted teeth and he was even decisive during this 24-2 “run”, decisive in the final result. Helping his team to win and steal 7th place at Minnesota, who slipped on his side in 9th position. Did you say “game of musical chairs”?
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Los Angeles can smile, Minnesota much less. Small event for the Lakers, who pass for the first time this season above 50% of victories, thanks to this success acquired in Minneapolis. A very good deal for the teammates of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, in collective progress, who are increasingly looking like scarecrows in the West and who are giving themselves some air compared to the 11th (Dallas). As for the Wolves, they slip out of the Top 8 and this setback hurts them a lot in view of the race for the Top 6, because the gap is growing with Golden State.
— A terrible 24-2. About eight minutes from the end of the third quarter, Wolves were still leading by ten points (76-64) when the game completely changed. Under the impetus of D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis, then Dennis Schröder and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers first managed a 9-0, interrupted by a 2-point, before continuing on a 15-0. During this time, Minnesota was watering the shot and accumulating the ball losses, without managing to react to the scoreboard. From then on, the match was no longer the same, with “Purple & Gold” now behaving like bosses.
— Anthony Davis with ankle injury. These are images that obviously no one likes to see and to which we are unfortunately a little too accustomed with “AD”. Midway through the third quarter and the Lakers 24-2, the inside collapsed to the ground after twisting his left ankle. He stayed there for a few seconds, before getting up on his own and putting his foot down. Despite the pain, Davis managed to get back into the game and he was able to finish the game, but we will now have to see how his body will react when he has cooled down and the adrenaline has disappeared. Los Angeles can shake…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc_TTyl5g7w
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Anthony Davis. Quite simply a warrior’s performance, like those of Dennis Schröder or Rui Hachimura who boosted Los Angeles off the bench. While we imagined “AD” going out and potentially saying goodbye to his end of the season, when we saw him writhing in pain on the ground, he ended up coming back to the floor gritting his teeth and we can almost say that this alert has awakened the monster within him. Imperial on either side, the All-Star inside completely stepped on Wolves’ racket as the minutes went by. Punctuating his unchallenged domination with a fiery fourth quarter: 17 points!
✅ Mike Conley. Excluded for six fouls, proof of his constant commitment, the veteran point guard (25 points, 7 assists, 3 steals) will have made misery for D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers defense. Well-legged, aggressive (7/8 on free throws) and in phase with his shot (7/11, including 4/6 from 3-pointers), he especially distinguished himself in the first half, to place the Wolves in command. More discreet after the break, Conley is still Minnesota’s best player tonight, with Kyle Anderson (17 points, 6 assists, 3 blocks) and Rudy Gobert (14 points, 11 rebounds).
⛔ LeBron James. Since his return to competition, we can say that the quadruple MVP (18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) is currently his age (38 years old) with the Lakers. Physically, we feel that he is struggling to make a difference against his defenders and this shows when he is too short on shots (7/19), regardless of the distance, or when he cannot push. A bad period to go through, as it happens to everyone, the advantage being that James will be able to take advantage of the next outings to rev up.
⛔ Anthony Edwards. Bad performance from the Wolves All-Star: 11 points, but 4/16 to shoot (including 2/7 from 3-points), with 3 lost balls. Unable to find his rhythm on offense and convert open opportunities he could take advantage of, Edwards holed up when his team needed him. To forget, therefore.
THE FOLLOWING
Minnesota (39-39) : Portland reception, Sunday evening (9:30 p.m.).
Los Angeles (39-38) : trip to Houston, overnight from Sunday to Monday (01:00).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
