LeBron James, Lakers survive chaotic 4th quarter to beat Timberwolves in OT of play-in matchup

Ryan Young
Updated

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers had to survive a wild fourth quarter to get there, but they’re officially headed into the playoffs.

The Lakers rallied from a 15-point second-half hole and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102 in overtime of their play-in tournament game on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. That officially puts the Lakers back into the playoffs and set up a first-round series with the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies.

The fourth quarter was incredibly chaotic, and could have gone either way a number of times.

The Lakers had tied things up after mounting a late 16-6 run in the fourth quarter, all while holding the Timberwolves scoreless for more than five minutes. That, thanks largely to a big run to end the third, erased a 15-point Timberwolves lead. As James ran out the clock for a final shot, he drove to the hoop and kicked to Dennis Schroder in the corner — who was absolutely wide open and sank the bucket with just more than a second left.

After a timeout advanced the ball, Anthony Davis did the one thing he couldn’t do on the final play. The Lakers big man fouled Timberwolves guard Mike Conley as he was attempting a last-second heave from the corner that didn't have much of a chance of falling. That sent Conley to the free throw line for the first time all game. He hit all three free throws and forced overtime.

“I’ve been playing the game like that since I was a kid. I drew the defense, trust your teammates. [Schroder] knocked it down,” James said of the final shot on TNT.

“It’s unfortunate that AD had a brain fart and messed his game winner up.”

The Timberwolves, who managed just 12 points in the fourth and looked defeated offensively down the stretch, struggled in overtime. The Lakers held them to just four points in the extra period, a dunk and a layup from Anthony Edwards, while the Lakers pushed ahead to the six-point win.

“We got stagnant,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, via Bally Sports North. “We ran out of gas, we got tired for sure … We should’ve won this game. All credit to them, they did a good job of making enough plays and getting the easy buckets when they needed it.”

James led the Lakers with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the win. Davis added 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Schroder added 21 points off the bench. The Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season, haven’t won a playoff series since their title run in the Walt Disney World COVID-19 bubble in 2020. Their series against the Grizzlies will start in Memphis on Sunday.

LeBron James and the Lakers are officially back in the playoffs
LeBron James and the Lakers are officially back in the playoffs. (AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Towns led Minnesota with 24 points and 11 rebounds, though he didn't score in the fourth quarter or overtime. Conley added 23 points and shot 6-of-8 from the 3-point line. While they shot 40% from behind the arc, the Timberwolves committed 21 turnovers on the night. This game marked their 19th game this season they lost after holding a 15-point lead or greater, too.

Minnesota will now take on the winner of the New Orleans Pelicans-Oklahoma City Thunder play-in game on Friday in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves were without Rudy Gobert, who was suspended for the play-in game after he punched teammate Kyle Anderson in their final regular season game on Sunday. He is expected to rejoin the team for Friday's game.

Whoever wins that matchup will advance to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and go up against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round.

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