In a hard-fought Game 3 of their first-round series, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-104, on Friday night. Despite a valiant effort by LeBron James, who scored 38 points, and Austin Reaves, who contributed 20, the Lakers were undone by turnovers, missed opportunities, and a relentless Timberwolves defense.
Austin Reaves spoke candidly after the loss about the team’s struggles. “They won the possession battle,” Reaves said. “We had six or 19 turnovers for 28 points. Offensive rebounds were a big factor. It’s hard to win when you give up double-digit extra opportunities to score.” The Lakers were punished by their mistakes, and despite shooting 17-of-40 from three-point range, their inefficiency in other areas proved costly.
When asked about Luka Doncic’s performance while dealing with illness, Reaves praised his teammate’s effort. “Luka gave it everything he had tonight. He played 39, 40 minutes and did everything he could to help us win,” said Reaves. “We had a chance with three minutes left, but we just couldn’t get it done.” Doncic, struggling through illness, finished with just 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting, a far cry from his usual dominant performances.
The Lakers, down by six after the first quarter, were competitive throughout the game, but a late surge from Minnesota, led by Jaden McDaniels’ career-high 30 points, sealed the victory. “We see the spots where we have to be better,” Reaves reflected on the team’s mood after the game. “We’ll fix that on Sunday.”
A key factor in Minnesota’s success was their defense on Doncic, with McDaniels in particular putting constant pressure on the star guard. Reaves acknowledged the difficulty in stopping Anthony Edwards, who finished with 29 points. “Ant’s a really good player,” said Reaves. “He’s going to play in this league for a long time. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board to slow him down and get a win on Sunday.”
Reaves also touched on the importance of ball containment and team defense, especially in light of the Lakers’ small-ball lineup. “We have to do a good job guarding with five guys, keeping bodies in front and making sharp rotations,” he added. The Lakers will need to focus on tightening up their defense if they hope to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday.
As for the crucial Game 4, Reaves remained optimistic. “We’ll go play as hard as we can and give ourselves a chance to win. We’ll be ready, focused, and competing as hard as we can,” he said. The Lakers will look to bounce back in Minneapolis and avoid falling behind 3-1 in the series.
