After a nail-biting 116-113 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4, the Lakers have been pushed to the edge of elimination. What could have been a good game for LA was ruined by Anthony Edwards, who looked refined with his “shoot it every time” mentality in the final quarter. Sure, the other side had LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, who gave their best, but it was simply not enough to stop Edwards. But here’s an even more interesting fact: Lakers head coach JJ Redick simply refused to make a substitution after halftime. For all 24 minutes of the third and fourth quarters, he stuck to having Doncic, Hachimura, James, Reaves, and Dorian Finney-Smith play. It marked the first time a coach has made such a decision in the playoffs since the league started to keep track in 1997.
Sure, it worked for a bit, but by the fourth quarter, the Lakers’ big guns were exhausted and couldn’t get the job done. Doncic was fighting off a stomach bug, James was pushing 46 minutes, and the Lakers’ bench didn’t get nearly enough time to step up. But here’s the real issue: The Lakers are facing a major crisis. If they don’t change their game plan, their playoff dreams will fade. It’s go-time for L.A.
It’s time to rotate the lineup, give the starters a breather, and actually trust the guys on the bench. Playing your stars for that long is a surefire way to run them into the ground, and that’s exactly what happened when they started missing shots and the offense slowed down. While James and Doncic denied that fatigue played a role, they still needed better execution and a whole lot more depth. Unless something major changes, the Lakers will be packing up their bags way too early. Hence, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves had a message for their entire team. Doncic stated:
And he isn’t wrong here. They started the second half on a great note. They had an 11-0 run to retake the lead by eight. However, the Timberwolves’ Edwards and Jaden McDaniels were quick to turn the game around. The former recorded 43 points (16 in the fourth quarter), nine rebounds, and six assists. It was a physical game, but Austin Reaves felt his team could have done more.
As you can tell we outscored them by 13 and we just continue to get good luck. We gotta watch the film and see how we can do that. Almost every possession you gotta have a good luck every possession and even in that fourth quarter, we had some that we didn’t convert… Basically wide open that I didn’t make. Bron had a layup. Luca had a layup. You just gotta continue to fight and believe in yourself,” he opined. But for fans, there was a clear difference visible between the teams.
The Lakers looked gassed, but Minnesota? They used their bench players, Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo, to make some clutch plays in the final minutes.
That shared mindset between Doncic and Reaves is huge. It’s that ‘never back down’ mentality that the Lakers need. These two guys are sending positive vibes to the locker room: The Lakers aren’t out yet; They just need to believe in each other and go out there and play smart. Alright, Lakers fans, here’s the deal: Game 5 is the ultimate make-or-break moment. If they lose, it’s curtains for their playoff dreams. But if they win? Well, the series gets really interesting.
They will enter Game 5 in Los Angeles trailing 3-1. But they can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. So it’s time for a game plan overhaul.
With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves leading by example, the Lakers need to rally together, execute better, and stop playing so drained. Game 5 is their chance to prove they have more fight left in them than just a series of bad decisions. The tone is set, but all depends on how they decide to execute it under Redick. As per the coach’s own admission, “it was not a planned thing to play five guys an entire second half” of Game 4. So it seems to be a miscalculated decision not to give James and Doncic a break.
To some fans, it came across as a lack of trust in his bench, considering how important the game was. Sure, the HC had limited options, but with ten players available on the bench, his decisions have come under scrutiny. But does he regret it? No! “Once you kind of made that decision and they’re all in, you just have to trust them,” the coach said after the game.
The Lakers and the Timberwolves will face each other once again for Game 5 in Los Angeles on April 30 at 10 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on TNT.
