The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well.
Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night.
“Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Photo: Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images
Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored the Lakers 13-1 over the final 4:37 after Doncic’s tying baseline jumper.
“Our best closing effort of the year, no doubt,” coach Chris Finch said.
LeBron James did the heavy lifting with Doncic playing through a stomach illness, scoring 38 points. He made three 3-pointers in a four-possession span midway through the fourth quarter.
“He was shooting it from Yucatan,” Edwards said. “He was shooting it crazy.”
However, James could not find a shot after that torrid stretch, hitting the side of the backboard with a corner heave with the Lakers down 111-104 with 1 minute, 26 seconds left. Edwards drained a long 2-pointer on the next possession to wrap it up, sauntering to the edge of the court during a timeout to fire up the crowd.
“That was probably the most fun I’ve had in Target Center, for sure,” Edwards said.
Game 4 is in Minneapolis today.
Austin Reaves had 20 points on 5-for-11 shooting from 3-point range, where the Lakers stayed hot all night to stay close — offsetting 19 turnovers the Wolves converted into 28 points.
“They’re big, they’re long, they’re athletic, they pressure the basketball, they make everything tough,” Lakers coach J. J. Redick said. “We’re going to have some turnovers.”
Randle, a first-round draft pick by the Lakers in 2014 who missed the playoffs last year with New York and has only played in 18 career postseason games, was especially fired up for his first home playoff game with Minnesota. He went 9 for 10 from the free throw line and hustled all over the floor, leading the charge in a 56-26 edge the Wolves had in points in the paint.
Doncic was frequently smothered by McDaniels, Minnesota’s ace perimeter defender, and had a particularly sluggish start. Doncic needed a step-back 28-footer with Edwards guarding him in the closing seconds of the first half to get to eight points at the break.
In Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 117-101 in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Gary Trent Jr and Giannis Antetokounmpo each scored 37 points while leading host Milwaukee to a comeback win, cutting their deficit in the playoff series to 2-1.
Trent was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Taurean Prince and delivered for coach Doc Rivers, hitting nine of 12 on 3-point attempts. The nine tries tied the record set by Ray Allen in the 2001 Eastern Conference finals.
Pascal Siakam posted 28 points on 12-for-19 shooting for Indiana, which led by 12 points in the second quarter. Aaron Nesmith contributed 18 points, while Tyrese Haliburton logged 14 points and 10 assists.
In Orlando, Florida, the Orlando Magic narrowly beat the Boston Celtics 95-93 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Franz Wagner broke a late tie with consecutive driving hoops over Kristaps Porzingis, and Orlando survived a wild finish to win the game.
Wagner finished with a team-high 32 points and Paolo Banchero 29 for the Magic, who held serve after losing the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston. Game 4 is to be played in Orlando today.
Jayson Tatum had 36 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, but was also responsible for seven of the team’s 21 turnovers. Jaylen Brown chipped in with 19 points and Derrick White had 16 with five assists for Boston, which lost both of its regular-season games in Orlando.
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