Lakers beat Timberwolves in ugly win to clinch 7th seed.
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers beat the Timberwolves 108–102 in an ugly win on Tuesday to clinch the 7th seed in the Western Conference.
With a 2–10 start to the season and a 0.3% chance to make the playoffs, the Lakers are now officially playoff bound, locking up the 7th seed to face the 2nd-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.
With under 10 seconds to go, Dennis Schröder nailed the potential game-winning three with 1.4 seconds left to put them up three. LeBron James strategically drew the defense toward him after driving to the bucket, finding Schröder in the corner. The game was all said and done for the Timberwolves until Anthony Davis fouled Mike Conley on a corner three, knocking down all free throws to send the game to overtime.
Another heart-clinching moment came in overtime when the Lakers had a three-point cushion with 18.9 seconds left, and Minnesota forced a steal to give themselves a chance to tie it with a three, just missing to seal their fate. This game gave every Lakers fan a rollercoaster of emotions, making their hopes in the playoffs worrisome with Tuesday's performance.
The sloppiness came from both teams, with the Lakers and Timberwolves combining for 40 turnovers, 20 from the Lakers and 20 from Minnesota.
Five Lakers finished with double digits in scoring, with LeBron leading the charge with a game-high 30 points (12-for-21 shooting, 57.1%), notching ten rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal in 45 minutes.
“For us to turn around our season and give us an opportunity to compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy, that's all you can ask for,” said LeBron, mentioning the analytics that said they had only a 0.3% chance to make the playoffs.
Outside of his “brain fart,” as LeBron described it, Anthony Davis had a solid performance. Davis finished with 24 points on 10-for-19 (52.6%) shooting from the floor, adding 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals in 42 minutes of action.
Dennis Schröder’s minutes were increased in Tuesday’s win due to the struggles D’Angelo Russell had staying consistent on the shot chart, scoring just two points on 1-for-9 (11%) shooting. Schröder finished third on the team with 21 points (5-for-12 shooting, 41.6%) in 32 minutes, with four rebounds and two assists.
Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were the only other Lakers to score in double figures, with both of them finishing with 12 points each.
“It’s probably the loudest I’ve seen it since I’ve been here,” said Reaves on the atmosphere of the Lakers crowd.
The Lakers Game 1 against the Grizzlies is set for Sunday at 6 p.m. on ABC.
HERE. WE. GO!
