The Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of elimination from the NBA playoffs as the Minnesota Timberwolves claimed 116-113 victory on their home court to take a 3-1 lead in the first round Western Conference match up.
Anthony Edwards made two clutch free throws with 10.7 seconds remaining on the clock to extend the margin to three, and the Lakers had the chance to send it to overtime but Austin Reaves’ three-point attempt from the corner missed after some manic defence from the hosts.
The free throws were not without controversy however, as Edwards turned the ball over after LeBron James committed a turnover from an inbound pass at the start of the play.
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But Minnesota challenged the call, and it proved to be successful as he was deemed to have been fouled by James before losing possession, and sent to the line.
Edwards was enormous with a game high 43 points, including 16 in the final quarter, as the Timberwolves came back from ten points down at the final break to be on the cusp of advancing to the second round.
“A heartbreaker for the Lakers,” was the call from broadcaster Mike Breen as they squandered their lead and chance to square the series.
Edwards also had nine rebounds and six assists in a star turn, while he received strong support from Julius Randle with 25 points.
Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels dominated the boards for the Timberwolves with 11 rebounds apiece.
For the Lakers, Luka Doncic was excellent with 38 points, while James had 12 rebounds and eight assists to go with his 27 points, all of which came in the first three quarters.
When James pulled off a signature block either side of three-pointers from Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith to put the Lakers in front in the final two minutes, it looked like they may hold on.
But the 40-year-old superstar had a sequence he would love to take back with the errant pass and foul on Edwards that ultimately sealed the deal after McDaniels’ three-point play put them in front.
The Lakers perhaps ran out of fuel as they did not make a substitution in the second half with Finney-Smith six points, the only points to come off the bench.
The series returns to Los Angeles for game five on Thursday Australian time but the Lakers will now need to win three straight games to keep their season alive.
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