Lakers-Wolves Game 4 Observations

Another gut-wrenching loss in a game that felt — and was played — like Game 7

Photo by Robert Gauthier / Getty Images

This one hurts badly.

The Lakers lost another thriller, falling 116–113 in a controversial finish to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now find themselves on the brink of elimination, down 3–1 in the series.

Dubious calls, a missed trip by Jaden McDaniels on Luka Dončić with 35 seconds left that led to a botched inbound between James and Dončić, and a controversial foul call on James against Anthony Edwards were key parts of a chaotic final minute that ultimately doomed the Lakers.

But that was just the culmination of things that happened — or, more accurately, didn’t happen — earlier. J.J. Redick’s decision to start Dorian Finney-Smith over Jaxson Hayes, and to ride the same five players for the entire second half without a substitution — becoming the first coach in the play-by-play era to do so in a playoff game — felt, in hindsight, like the kind of desperate move you make in a Game 7 much deeper into the postseason.

The script and the ending were similar to Game 3. Edwards was spectacular in the fourth, while the Lakers struggled and looked out of gas and physically overmatched by the bigger Timberwolves.

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Today’s notes:

1. Waves of control and chaos

2. Early mistakes unacceptable, late ones understandable?

3. Banshee(s) gone, Lakers physically outmatched

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1–Waves of control and chaos

In my previous game adjustments articles and my Game 4 preview thread, I emphasized that ball control and controlling the pace would be the key in this game . And in every game of this series.

Simply put, the Lakers don't have the athleticism — and with a rotation that's getting shorter every game, they don't have the legs either — to keep up with the much more athletic Timberwolves. This game was a microcosm of that.

The Lakers played their best offensive game in the half-court all series. If you're looking for straws to grasp at, or hope for a potential turnaround, this is certainly it.

LA Lakers half-court offense ratings (source: Cleaning the Glass)

Dončić and James dominated early, scoring 21 and 22 points, respectively, in the first half. Dončić kept it going after the break, reaching 31 points in the third quarter and forcing Chris Finch to revert to an aggressive blitzing defense against him. The Lakers dissected the Wolves in 4-on-3 situations after those blitzes late in the third quarter, building a 10-point lead and playing their best offensive stretch of the series.

But the main problem for the Lakers was that amid stretches of full control — when they were dominating the Wolves in a half-court, slower-paced game — there were waves of mistakes and missed opportunities that let the Wolves get out in transition and score easily, resulting in a 16–7 edge in fast break points.

2-Early mistakes unacceptable, late ones understandable?

This is a series where size, depth, and physicality all work in the Wolves' favor, meaning the Lakers' only real chance to win is by playing low-mistake basketball. That's extremely difficult to do in such a physical series — especially given the level of aggression allowed in these playoffs. (And to be clear, I'm not complaining, I'm actually enjoying these playoffs. Just pointing out that the Lakers are at a disadvantage with this brand of basketball.)

The mistakes they made early were probably what cost them this game. Missed layups, bad lob passes, and a stretch of less than four minutes with four turnovers to start the second quarter were the reasons the Lakers were trailing by three at halftime instead of being up by 10.

Because as bad as the late mistakes looked, the two key clutch missed layups by Dončić and LeBron that swung momentum, the botched inbound pass, as uncharacteristic as some of the poor decisions were for two of the best in-game managers, it is hard to not attribute them to both simply running out of gas. Dončić and James each played 46 minutes, barely a day and a half after logging 40-plus minutes in Game 3. It was way too much for the 40-year-old James and for Dončić, who was still recovering from illness.

It's hard to judge how the decision to play such heavy minutes so early in the playoffs was made, without knowing what happened in the locker room or the huddle. But the results from the last two games show that the strategy is backfiring.

3-Banshee(s) gone, Lakers physically outmatched

I mentioned the physicality of this year's playoffs, and how the Lakers have been outmatched, outhustled, and pushed around by the bigger Timberwolves.

With the amount of grabbing, tripping (McDaniels did it at least three times in Game 4), Rudy Gobert throwing elbows and bodies around on offensive rebounds, and Julius Randle using his strength to bulldoze smaller Lakers defenders on drives and box-outs, it’s obvious the Lakers are fighting with water over their mouths, struggling to keep up against the bigger, more physical Wolves. They’ve been outrebounded in every game of the series and once again lost the possession battle decisively. Minnesota had 10 more shot attempts and 8 more free-throw attempts in a game that came down to the final possession.

However, the Lakers being undersized is nothing new. After trading for Dončić, they played prolonged stretches without a traditional center, compensating for their lack of size and bulk inside by playing hard and with hustle. Redick often raved about how opposing coaches noticed, and praised how hard his Lakers played.

‘Be a banshee’ was a phrase Redick and his staff coined to describe the always-hustling, never-give-up attitude and style of play. Being a banshee is the reason Jordan Goodwin was converted from a two-way deal to a regular NBA contract and earned a rotation spot. It’s also why Jarred Vanderbilt was in the rotation over a sharpshooter like Dalton Knecht. Playing like a banshee, pressuring the ball, is when Gabe Vincent makes his biggest impact.

It's obvious you can't punch above your weight and outwork your opponent while playing 40-plus minutes or an entire half without a breather. Vanderbilt and Goodwin's offensive limitations are obvious and well documented against contending teams. Redick leaned into offense, trying to beat the Wolves with shooting and skill by benching his banshees. That strategy failed in the last two games, and down 3–1, maybe it’s time to change course if an upset is going to happen in this series.

Maybe it’s time to be a banshee again.