As the Timberwolves nudge the Lakers toward elimination, Anthony Edwards seems to have found a flow state in postseason play.
MINNEAPOLIS – The Los Angeles Lakers suffered from a malady that has befallen unassuming picnickers for eons when their afternoon was ruined by an Ant takeover.
In this case, it was Anthony “Ant” Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves who spoiled the potato salad and what had looked like good times for the Lakers. L.A. held a 10-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, 94-84, thanks to a series quarter-high 36 points in the third quarter.
Luka Dončić had recovered from the stomach illness that hampered him in Game 3 Friday and already had 31 points. LeBron James was wearing a rut to the foul line, hitting 15-of-18 to that point for the majority of his 27 points. As a group, L.A. was shooting 50% overall and 15-for-35 on 3-pointers, with the bonus that Rui Hachimura had scored 20 as a third threat.
Then Edwards seized the game, found enough help among his Wolves teammates and sent the Lakers scrambling, now down 3-1 in the series, as they head back to L.A.
Here are five takeaways from the Wolves’ 116-113 victory, heading into another two-day break before Wednesday’s Game 5 (9 ET, TNT).
1. Edwards’ takeover: more refined than raw
The Wolves shooting guard initially said his mentality in that final quarter was to “shoot it every time.” And for a while, it looked that way. Edwards hit a pair of 3-pointers to start the Wolves’ scoring, added a jumper another three minutes later and had all 11 of their points to make it 99-95 with 7:42 left.
Then came the unexpected: Edwards didn’t add another bucket the rest of the way. He did sink five essential free throws down the stretch (more on that later), but he also avoided any temptation to force “hero ball.” Minnesota’s possessions began with the basketball in his hands, but he made sure teammates got their touches, too.
The Wolves also generated opportunities out of their defense, with Edwards showing more poise and production in the fourth quarter than Dončić and James combined. Coach Chris Finch likened Edwards to a home run hitter who is learning the value of doubles and singles in the right situations.
Said veteran point guard Mike Conley: “He’s being really meticulous with what he’s doing late in the games. He’s taking his time really sizing up the defense, understanding where guys are going to be on the court. Taking what’s there and available.”
2. Lakers bench? What bench?
The NBA now has a West Coast version of Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks coach noted for playing his starters for heavy minutes .
In this one, Lakers coach JJ Redick was the PT tyrant, refusing to make a substitution after halftime. He stuck with Dončić, James, Hachimura, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith for all 24 minutes of the third and fourth. It marked the first time any coach has done that in a playoff game since the NBA started keeping track in the 1997 postseason.
Your mileage may vary. But several Wolves and certain stats suggested that L.A.’s “Iron 5” were gassed before the final horn. The Lakers made only five of their 18 shots in the final quarter, got outrebounded 13-9 and had two costly turnovers.
The last was James’ lazy inbounds — Wolves defensive ace Jaden McDaniels poked it away — and Dončić’s equally lazy move to corral it with their team down 114-113 and 33 seconds left.
“I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with it,” James said after going scoreless in the fourth, taking only two shots and shuttling away the potential game-winning shot to Reaves at the buzzer.
Maybe not. But the Lakers have been outscored in every fourth quarter of the series so far, 105-69, and only once have cracked 30% shooting. Even one Lakers legend had to wonder.
I dont know if it smart to play LeBron and Luka the entire second half after only having one day of rest between Games 3 and 4. When we needed LeBron to take over in the fourth quarter he couldn’t – he scored 0 points in the fourth.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 27, 2025
3. Wolves divvy up 3rd star duties
Much of Minnesota’s season has included a search for a third reliable scorer, someone whom Finch can pencil in for 17-to-20 points on a nightly basis to supplement Edwards and Julius Randle (terrific again in Game 4 with a forceful 25 points; 21 in the first half).
The likeliest suspect has been the lanky McDaniels, who had 25 points in the opener and 30 in Game 3. But McDaniels, busy as usual guarding Dončić and various other Lakers, started slowly on the attack in Game 4. For that matter, so did Naz Reid– last year’s Sixth Man award winner – who looked as out of rhythm as an 11th man.
Anthony Edwards shouts out his teammates in the postgame walkoff interview, with Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels each getting love.
Over the final 12 minutes, however, McDaniels scored five with six rebounds, Reid found a groove for eight points in just 4:39 and Donte DiVincenzo brought some aggression to the rim and some tips on navigating L.A.’s defense for Edwards.
4. Green is Wolves’ lucky color again
Someone on the Minnesota roster must be Irish – McDaniels? – because they won a pivotal coach’s challenge for the second consecutive game.
In Game 3, it was ruling late in the game involving Edwards on an out-of-bounds call. This time, same situation, same Wolves player, even more intense moment. Edwards slipped and fell as he drove the lane, the ball seeming to squirt off him beyond the baseline at 114-113 with 10.7 seconds left. James, the referees ruled, had contacted Edwards on the hand.
But in replaying the act multiple times, including a tell-tale overhead camera angle, the folks at the NBA Replay Center determined James had hit Edwards’ wrist instead.
So instead of Lakers ball – instead even of ‘Wolves ball out of bounds’ – Edwards was sent to the line and hit two free throws. That meant L.A.’s scramble for a final shot, Dončić shoveling the ball to James, who shoveled it to Reaves, only could have tied it.
5. Lakers desperate to extend postseason
For the second consecutive spring, James and the Lakers face a possible five-game elimination (Denver took them out in the 2024 first round). Dončić, who led Dallas to the Finals last June, is on the verge of a curtailed playoff run that might allow Mavericks GM Nico Harrison to breathe a little after his much-maligned trade.
These are not the turn-of-the-century Wolves, who failed to advance beyond the first round in seven of eight postseason appearances. Last year, Minnesota eliminated Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokić, so there’s no reason for the Wolves to flinch against James and Dončić.
The Lakers need to string together three victories in as many tries, with full knowledge of the math stacked against them: Teams leading 3-1 in an NBA best-of-seven series have won it 95.5% of the time (275-13).
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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