LeBron James rubbished suggestions fatigue was behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ late collapse to the Minnesota Timberwolves that leaves their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
The Lakers led by 10 points in the final quarter but, with coach JJ Redick keeping the same five players on court for the entire second half, they wilted as the Timberwolves hit back to win 116-113 and take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
James scored 27 points but was scoreless in the fourth while fellow superstar Luka Doncic poured in 38 points overall with only seven coming in the final quarter.
pandemonium. pic.twitter.com/372KZISmyL
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 28, 2025
“We got some really good looks,” said James. “Luka missed a point-blank layup to put us up seven. I missed a point-blank layup to put us up four. We had a couple opportunities.
“I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with that. Just missing some point-blank shots, you know? We were getting into what we wanted to get into. We just weren’t able to convert.”
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Redick defends decision
It was the first time in 27 years that a playoff team had used just five players in one half.
“I asked them at the beginning of the fourth quarter [how they were doing] and told them we had two extra timeouts,” Redick said. “‘If you need a sub, let us know.’ Those guys gave a lot.”
Doncic added: “Fatigue shouldn’t play any role in this. I played a lot of minutes, but that shouldn’t play a role. I think they just executed better on the offensive end during the last minutes.”
Minnesota outscored the Lakers 32-19 in the final quarter with Anthony Edwards contributing 16 of his game-high 43 points over that period.
And the star guard sensed tiredness in the opponents.
He said: ”I felt like they were gassed going down the stretch.
“So just trying to keep my foot on the pedal and keep going.”
It’s not done yet – Doncic
The Lakers head back to LA for Game 5 on Wednesday knowing there is no room for error if they want to stay alive in the series.
“We haven’t lost nothing yet,” Doncic said. “It’s still the first one to four wins, and we’ve just got to still to believe.”
