The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series and ended up losing 116-113. Now, LeBron James and company are behind 3-1 in the series, with many fans ready to wave the white flag.
The Lakers surprisingly relied on just five players for the final two quarters, making them the first team since 1997-98 to use the same five players in a half of a playoff game.
While the decision proved effective in the third quarter — the Lakers went on a 14-0 run to turn things around and take control of the game — it soon came back to bite them. In the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves erased the lead, outscoring the Lakers 32-19 in that frame.
Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 43 points in the final quarter, as he helped the Timberwolves go on a 19-9 run in the final five minutes, six seconds of play.
As the NBA world debates what went wrong for the Lakers, NBA legend Charles Barkley shared his own take on the issue.
During Sunday’s broadcast of “Inside the NBA” on TNT, Barkley was critical of the Lakers’ plan and game adjustments, all while highlighting what the Timberwolves did right.
“I think when they go with their small lineup, they’re better offensively,” Barkley said of the Timberwolves.
“When they take (Rudy) Gobert out, bring in Naz (Reid) and (Julius) Randle, that’s where they’re best. And I thought the Lakers didn’t have a good game plan because the double works when Rudy is in the game because he can’t score. … I thought the Lakers should have changed their game plan.”
It remains to be seen what kind of adjustments the Lakers will make in their next showdown, but as Barkley pointed out, the challenge is on Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick to find a solution and plan properly against Minnesota.
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena, so hopes are high that the Lakers can make use of their homecourt advantage and stay alive in the series. The game begins at 10 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT.
