Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on in the clutch to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-113 to take a commanding 3-1 lead on Sunday. Much like Game 3, the matchup was incredibly close, but clutch free throws from Anthony Edwards were enough to secure the victory.
The Lakers jumped out to a ten-point lead early before Minnesota’s offense caught stride and made it a 3-point game. Los Angeles held a small lead for most of the first half, but the Timberwolves closed out the second quarter strongly.
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Luka Doncic and the Lakers went on a 14-0 run to start the second half, but Minnesota responded with a run of their own and once again made it close.
RANDLE PUTBACK.
RANDLE DEFENSE.
LUKA TOUGH SHOT.High-level basketball in Game 4 ????#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google on ABC pic.twitter.com/VE70zfXq5M
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The Timberwolves were able to grab a small lead with two minutes left before two quick threes by L.A. put the Lakers ahead. Jaden McDaniels converted a tough and-1 layup for Minnesota to take a one-point lead before LeBron James sent Edwards to the line in the final ten seconds after fouling on a steal attempt.
Edwards made both free throws to secure the victory and cap off his exceptional performance. He finished with 43 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Julius Randle had 25 points and seven rebounds.
Doncic did everything he could for L.A. and finished with 38 points while James had 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Minnesota’s swarming defense held James to zero points in the fourth quarter.
We’ve seen James lead a team to a 3-1 comeback before, but the Lakers must play near-perfect basketball for the rest of the series if they want to move on.
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
