The Los Angeles Lakers lost a heartbreaker to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night to fall in a 3-1 hole in their first-round series, putting Luka Doncic, LeBron James and JJ Redick one game away from elimination in their first season together. Anthony Edwards outdueled Luka with 43 points compared to 38 from the Slovenian superstar, but it was really Minnesota’s supporting cast that made the biggest difference, as the Wolves bench outscored the Lakers bench 25-6.
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It’s become obvious during this series that Redick doesn’t trust his bench. LeBron is 40 years old but played 46 minutes in this one. Luka, who was laid low by a stomach bug in Game 3, also played 46. Outside of sixth man Dorian Finney-Smith (who provided the only bench points with two three-point makes), the rest of the Lakers bench only played 27 minutes total.
That strategy caught up to LA, as LeBron scored 22 in the first half but wore down later. He only scored 5 in the second half and none in the fourth quarter. With the Lakers up by 2, his final-minute sequence of missing a long three, then turning it over on an inbounds play after Jaden McDaniels’ go-ahead and-1 sealed the Lakers’ fate.
Gary Payton joined the Nightcap podcast last night to break down the game. He told Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson that the Lakers aren’t winning because they don’t have players willing to support their superstars the way guys like Jaden McDaniels supports Anthony Edwards or the way his son, Gary Payton II, supports Steph Curry on the Golden State Warriors.
“You have to have a cast to support you,” Payton said. “That’s what the game is about.. When the playoffs come, it ain’t about superstars, it’s about who’s gonna support my superstar to get me to win basketball games?”
Gary Payton hit the nail on the head when it comes to the Lakers
Payton, who earned the nickname “The Glove” during his playing days, correctly pointed out the Lakers’ weakness in that area is due in part to their lack of a big man to protect the rim. After trading Anthony Davis away, they tried to fix the problem by acquiring Charlotte’s Mark Williams at the deadline, but they rescinded the deal after the young shot-blocker failed his physical.
Now the Lakers have a recipe for failure against a hungry and experienced Wolves team because, not only do they struggle to defend, they’re also wearing their veteran stars out by playing them nearly the entire game. That’s what helped the Wolves overcome a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Charles Barkley also blasted the Lakers for having a flawed approach to this game, especially in how they chose to double-team Edwards so often but still allowed him to go for 43. That move opened things up for his teammates as well, especially when the Wolves went small by taking Rudy Gobert out.
“I thought the Lakers should have changed their game plan,” Barkley said. “Because they’re like, we’re going to get the ball out of Ant’s hand. Well, now when Rudy’s not in there, DiVincenzo gets a drive, Naz Reid gets two threes, Jaden McDaniels gets a drive.”
McDaniels was able to spring for 16 in his third game this series surpassing his season scoring average, while Reid and DiVincenzo provided a spark unlike anything the Lakers bench could muster.
Now faced with a 3-1 deficit, the Lakers have to decide if they believe they can win while playing their stars almost exclusively or if they might have a better shot by getting the bench more involved. Unless something changes drastically, and soon, they’ll have all offseason to figure out that question.
