Beaten. Broken. Battered. These are just some of the words that have surfaced as the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to strategically dismantle what everyone thought was a championship worthy Los Angeles Lakers. While the duo’s first two games inched the balance squarely in the middle, the next two were enough for some panic to settle in Redick’s locker room—especially after their latest clash—which even left NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson gasping for air. But before we get to that…
Let’s tell you a bit about Sunday’s clash: It’s important to note that the Lakers were leading for most of the second half before a late-game charge by Jaden McDaniels contributed to the team securing a 113-116 win. McDaniels expertly converted a three-point play with 39.5 seconds left and stole the following inbounds pass from LeBron James. However, the real game-changer came with about 10 seconds left when Edwards was driving down the basket after a pass from Donte DiVincenzo. James got in his way and the opponent fell to the ground, leading to a Minnesota challenge. A lengthy review later, it was determined that ‘The Akron Hammer’ made contact with Edwards’ wrist, resulting in a foul.
Already down by one, the foul was costly to the Lakers, as Edwards capitalized on two free throws, pushing the scoreline to 116-113. Austin Reaves, meanwhile, tried to answer back with a three-pointer at the buzzer, but missed. The next minute? Chaos. Collapses. And a complete meltdown that left everyone—players, fans, and legends alike, feeling absolutely sick. And if you think we’re being dramatic, just wait till you hear Magic Johnson’s reaction. Spoiler alert: He’s just as nauseated as the rest of the Laker Nation.
Johnson didn’t hold back, voicing what every Lakers fan felt in real-time. Late last night, the retired veteran let it all out on X with no filters, or PR gloss. “I’m just sick to my stomach that the Lakers lost this game after being in control most of the 2nd half.” He also doubled down with multiple other tweets, dissecting the players and strategies. Sharing his two cents on Edwards’ game-high 43 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, the former Lakers player wrote, “Just a brilliant performance and masterful 43 points by Anthony Edwards tonight in the Timberwolves win over the Lakers. As the old saying goes, live by the jump shot, die by the jump shot.”
Furthermore, he also relayed a critical piece of advice for JJ Redick that read, “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.” Looks like the coach will have to wait some more to make it to Johnson’s good books, especially after the latter had somewhat criticized the head coach after their 117-95 Game 1 upset.
On that occasion, Johnson had pointedly remarked on X, “Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1. The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments,” before adding in another tweet, “Tonight was one of the Lakers worst performances this season. They were flat, had no energy, and they played like it was a regular season game.”
As for the roster’s performance after their latest loss, Edwards easily outperformed Luka Doncic. But we must consider his stomach ailment, and how he, despite that, finished with 38 points on 13-for-28 shooting. James, on the other hand, pulled off 27 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists, while Rui Huchimara added 23 points, 5 rebounds and one assist.
