The Los Angeles Lakers seemed poised to tie their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4, holding a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. However, they ultimately came up short.
Although several factors contributed to the Lakers’ collapse, questionable officiating down the stretch certainly didn’t help. A series of controversial calls appeared to shift momentum toward the Timberwolves.One notable moment involved Luka Doncic, who tripped and lost possession. Head coach JJ Redick argued that Doncic was fouled by Jaden McDaniels, but no call was made.
“Luka was clearly tripped — it was obvious,” Redick said. “He doesn’t just fall like that on his own. We reviewed it, and he was definitely tripped. We should’ve been shooting free throws. That’s not an excuse for the loss, but it was a missed foul.”
Another controversial moment came when LeBron James appeared to cleanly strip the ball from Anthony Edwards, causing it to go out of bounds. However, after the Timberwolves challenged the play, the officials instead assessed a foul on James — a decision the Lakers star strongly disagreed with.
Lakers Fell Short in the Final Moments
Despite the unfavorable officiating, the Lakers still had an opportunity to tie the game late. However, a turnover by Doncic and a missed three-pointer by Austin Reaves ultimately secured the win for Minnesota.
LeBron James was pleased with the shots the team was able to create, but they simply couldn’t capitalize when it mattered most.
“We got some really good looks,” said James, who delivered another standout game with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. “Luka [Doncic] missed a layup right at the rim that would’ve put us up by seven. I missed an easy layup that could’ve stretched the lead to four. We had our chances. I don’t think it was about fatigue — we just missed some shots we usually make. We were getting to our spots and executing our plays; we just couldn’t finish.”
Lakers Refuse to Blame Fatigue for Defeat
The Lakers noticeably struggled in the closing minutes, possibly due to James, Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith playing the entire second half without a break.
Although head coach JJ Redick has been criticized for not rotating his players more, Doncic made it clear he doesn’t want fatigue to be used as an excuse.
