Without Rudy Gobert nor Jaden McDaniels or Naz Reid, the challenge promised to be complicated for the wolves To Los Angelesbut on a match and not on a complete series, nothing says that the mission was impossible, especially since they love the costume of outsiders.
This has been seen, because in the wake of a Karl Anthony Towns inspired (24 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks) and a Mike Conley terribly valuable (23 points), the Minneapolis players raced in the lead for almost the entire game. But, thanks to LeBron James (30 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists), Anthony Davis (24 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Dennis Schröder (21 points), the Lakers kept their heads above water to finally pick up in the fourth quarter.
But it was in overtime that the “Purple & Gold” had to finish Minnesota (108-102), not without trembling again, and this victory allows them to find the playoffs after a year of absence, to rub shoulders with the Grizzlies of Ja Morant, Sunday. However, they will have to show a completely different face during this first round to hope to achieve the “upset”!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Los Angeles got Minnesota to wear. It was long believed in the fourth quarter that neither team wanted this game, because between the gifts from the Lakers when they had the momentum or the inability of Wolves to sign even a basket, each went there from his error in turn. In overtime, however, the “Purple & Gold” ended up
— Minnesota can harbor regrets. The move was almost perfect for the Wolves, reduced but well in their match, to the point of counting up to 15 points in advance, with “role players” at the rendezvous (Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince). But, too often accustomed to wasting +10 and silent leads for almost five minutes in the fourth quarter, Chris Finch’s men ended this meeting on a very low note, missing opportunities to sink the Lakers. , and here they are now forced to win on Friday so as not to be on vacation. This time they will be at home.
— Karl-Anthony Towns, held back by fouls. For three quarters, the duel between Anthony Davis and “KAT” turned to the advantage of the interior of the Wolves, who lacked almost nothing in attack and who took malicious pleasure in punishing the spaces left by the defense of the Wolves. Lakers, to offer a comfortable advance mattress to his team. Except the Los Angeles players hammered the paint and fouls him, which disrupted Minnesota’s play and helped them get back together.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ LeBron James. The smell of the playoffs and the play-in in the nostrils, the “King” delivered yet another heroic performance for the Lakers, putting them on his back in the second half to allow them to erase their -15 deficit. Well supported by Dennis Schröder, Anthony Davis or Rui Hachimura, the quadruple MVP struggled as usual and, five days before the first round against Memphis, this performance is clearly reassuring. Even if he also spoiled (5 lost balls), vampirized the Californian game and struggled to finish the job, probably because of his… 45 minutes of playing time.
✅ Mike Conley. It is in this kind of match that we realize how valuable the veteran point guard is for Minny, just with his experience and his experience. Along with Taurean Prince, he perfectly symbolized his team’s insolent 3-point success for three quarters, constantly planting the right shot at the right time, before not shaking at the last second to snatch overtime on free throws.
⛔ D’Angelo Russell. Against his former team, “D-Lo” certainly distributed good balls (8 assists), but he was above all distinguished by his inability to convert baskets (1/9, including 0/4 at 3-points) and to reassure. A mostly negative contribution for the Californian franchise, which also forced Darvin Ham to prefer a much more impactful Dennis Schröder in the last quarter and in overtime, with in particular a huge shot one second from the end in the fourth. .
⛔ Anthony Edwards. Supposedly built for this kind of knife match, “Ant-Man” was unfortunately next to his pumps last night. It wasn’t the only one, as Jordan McLaughlin also came up with some awful playing streaks, but such a low-key performance from an All-Star is bound to be more of a hassle. Between missed shots (3/17, including 0/9 at 3-pointers…) and unfortunate ball losses (4), Edwards lived a nightmare in Los Angeles and, if he had been even average today today, the situation would probably have been different for Minnesota.
THE FOLLOWING
Los Angeles : Game 1 at Memphis, Sunday.
Minnesota : play-in match against New Orleans / OKC, on the night of Friday to Saturday (03h30/04h00).
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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.
