Perhaps in response to Anthony Edwards’ big game and feeling a sense of desperation, Lakers coach JJ Redick took a major gamble Sunday.
It didn’t pay off.
Redick played the same five players the entire second half In Game 4 as the Los Angeles Lakers ran out of gas and fell to the Timberwolves 116-113, as Minnesota took a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round series
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Edwards scored 43 points — 16 in the fourth quarter — and added nine rebounds and six assists, but it was Redick’s decision that was perhaps the key factor.
Redick said postgame he decided to not sub out anyone during halftime, keeping the five-man lineup of LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura on the floor for the entirety of the second half.
“We certainly played well enough to win, and we gave the effort to win. It’s not a planned thing to play five guys [for] an entire second half,” Redick said. “[I] asked them at the beginning of the fourth quarter, told them we had two extra timeouts, if you need a sub let us know. Those guys gave a lot.”
When asked if he was worried about overworking his players, Redick said he trusted them to speak up if they needed to come out. “Once you’ve kind of made that decision and they all are in, you’ve just gotta trust them,” he said.
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As expected, the reaction to Redick’s strategy was quite strong:
The Lakers did open the second half with a 14-0 run and quieted the Minnesota home crowd. But the Timberwolves started to push back, fueled by a stellar second half from Edwards — and perhaps some fatigue on the Lakers’ side. A wide-open 3 from Naz Reid with four minutes remaining in the game got Minnesota within two points after the team trailed by as many as 12 points late in the third quarter and entered the fourth down by 10.
The Timberwolves pulled to a two-possession lead with two minutes left after a huge and-1 from Donte DiVincenzo, but 3-pointers from Reaves and Finney-Smith pulled the Lakers back in front. Then, in the final minute, Reaves fouled Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels for an and-1 opportunity, earning his fifth foul as McDaniels converted the free throw to give Minnesota a 114-113 lead.
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With less than 10 seconds remaining, James slapped the ball out of Edwards’ hands in what was initially ruled a turnover, leading to a Minnesota challenge and a lengthy review. An overhead video angle made it clear James made contact with Edwards’ wrist, resulting in a foul. Edwards hit both free throws, giving the Timberwolves the 116-113 lead.
Reaves had a chance for a game-tying 3, but it bounced out of the basket.
After the game, Redick’s selected five all said that they were fine with staying in for so long, but that it was a “tough” loss. Reaves said postgame that he was fine to do “whatever coach needed me to do,” and that he had gotten enough rest during the first half; Hachimura said that he was “ready to play the whole game,” but admitted that the initial chemistry between the five of them started to fall apart towards the end.
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Finney-Smith added that he was also “always ready” but admitted that he didn’t think they would use that strategy for Game 5.
“It was tough, you know, but it’s playoffs,” Finney-Smith said of playing the entire second half. “I don’t think nobody wanted to come out of the game anyway. I don’t think nobody’s gonna use that as an excuse.”
And for James, the Lakers team leader said that he thought the team’s second-half struggles had more to do with failing to take advantage of opportunities rather than tiring out. “I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with it,” he said. “Just missing some point-blank shots.”
The Lakers certainly had a chance to win, but what many will be questioning is Redick’s decision to ride the same five players for the entire second half. The Lakers’ lack of depth was always going to be a problem this series, but Redick couldn’t have been more clear about who on his roster he trusts.
The Lakers entered Sunday’s contest off one day of rest and are now a loss away from elimination with things certainly looking dire. Game 5 is 10 p.m. ET Wednesday in Los Angeles.
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