The Lakers hope to escape a 3-1 series deficit vs. the Wolves and will need their star duo to lead the way.
LOS ANGELES — Much like dozens of honeymoons involving famous people in this town, Luka Dončić and LeBron James have it all: a massive following, plenty of bliss and the most coveted title of all, power couple.
Once they linked back in February, the basketball anticipation swelled — no easy feat for a team with a history as rich as the Lakers — and a No. 3 playoff seed was seized.
All the hopes and expectations began to swell, although when these grand playoff plans were presented to Anthony Edwards, well, he’s still laughing at them.
Perhaps the most humbling aspect for the Lakers in this first-round series with the Timberwolves is that neither James nor Dončić is playing the heavy right now. That role belongs to Edwards, the chest-beating and muscle-flexing foe, who has been the most impactful player on the court so far.
As for Dončić, James and the Lakers? They can’t afford to add a fourth L.
They’re down 3-1 in the series, and the plug might be pulled on this Hollywood premiere unless there’s a stirring comeback story, of which both LeBron and Luka are fully capable of directing.
“I’ve seen Bron do it already,” said Lakers swingman Dorian Finney-Smith, referring to the 2016 NBA Finals.
They’ll need to start with cleaner fourth quarters. If these Luka- and LeBron-fueled Lakers can’t finish playoff games properly, they will be finished. The Wolves are punishing them, displaying more energy, grit and gutsy plays, raising the suspicion that Dončić and James are gassed from all the heavy lifting.
The Wolves have outscored the Lakers in every fourth quarter and are up 105-69 combined. Stunningly, this series isn’t over already, given those dominating numbers.
As for Dončić and James, they’re shooting a combined 12-for-37 in the fourths. They were a minus-19 combined in the fourth of Game 3, and minus-9 in Game 1.
James, in particular, has either struggled or disappeared. He went scoreless in the fourth of Game 4 when the Wolves bounced and pounced back, winning in the final seconds.
So what’s the solution? Can the Lakers use their star power to not only regain their footing in this series but win it? Or is this simply the wrong matchup against the bigger and more physical Timberwolves? And did the spoiled fans in L.A. have it all wrong when they sensed Luka-LeBron would bring riches in Year One together?
Here are the positives:
• LeBron remains frisky at 40. Overall, he has played well in the series, much like he has all season, which could result in an All-NBA selection — crazy at his age.
He’s taking a good portion of the playmaking away from Dončić here in the playoffs, which allows Dončić to play off the ball more, something he did last season with Kyrie Irving in Dallas and the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals.
LeBron is moving around the floor effortlessly and has his fingerprints on plenty of impactful plays. He’s averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in this series while also shooting 50.7% overall and 39.1% on 3-pointers.
The Wolves must show him respect by occasionally throwing double-teams in his direction, even though Minnesota, an elite defensive team, doesn’t normally give opponents that much love.
• Luka has leveled up. His first taste of the playoffs in a Laker jersey looks pretty familiar. Like, Dončić’s stretches of dominance remain the same, no matter if it’s Dallas or L.A.
He’s the series-leading scorer at 30.8 ppg, although the Wolves are making him work on every possession. The first line of defense for Minnesota is Jaden McDaniels, who brings length and athleticism and superb anticipation skills. Also, McDaniels guarded Dončić often in the 2024 playoffs, so that experience helps.
Dončić is, for the most part, having his way against the Minnesota defense. His only fault is hunting Rudy Gobert too often for mismatched isolations. Those 1-on-1s were highlight plays last season in the 2024 Western Conference Finals that fell in his favor. In this series, not so much, percentage-wise.
If Dončić doesn’t step on McDaniel’s foot in the closing moments of Game 4, maybe this series is tied. Sometimes, fluke plays have a way of tilting a series one direction or another, and it’s nobody’s fault.
And now, the concerns:
• Dončić’s defense. He can run, but he can’t hide. Dončić must guard someone in this series and unless it’s Mike Conley, the Wolves’ aging point guard who rarely shoots, he’s at a disadvantage.
Edwards is certainly a handful for Dončić, as he is for just about everyone in the NBA. Meanwhile, McDaniels’ scoring is inconsistent yet vastly improved (19.8 ppg in this series). Just as the Lakers are hunting Gobert and trying to goad him into mismatches, the mismatch that seems to escape the public’s radar is when the Wolves hunt Luka and get him into switches that favor them.
Remember, this side of the court haunted Dončić in the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, who punished him repeatedly. And lastly, this is the stated reason why Dončić is no longer with the Mavericks. “Defense wins championships” is the mantra of embattled Mavs GM Nico Harrison, who must be watching this series with some interest.
Would the Lakers be up in this series if they had Anthony Davis and his rim protection? Because there’s a noticeable lack of such right now on this team, and for the most part, coach JJ Redick is going without a center at all.
• LeBron’s stamina. All claims that he lacked oxygen near the end of these games are rubbish, according to James.
“We got some really good looks,” James said about the failed fourth quarter of Game 3. “I don’t think fatigue has anything to do with that. Just missing some point-blank shots, you know?”
We’ll see if Redick repeats a questionable strategy of using just five players for an entire second half, as he did in Game 4. That, of course, means LeBron, after yet another season’s worth of tread wear, doesn’t rest for the final two quarters of a second straight game here on the eve of May — assuming the game will be close and demand his presence.
The predictions in the past of James breaking down are all buried in a cemetery somewhere. He has proven those projections wrong every time. He prepares his body for deep playoff runs even if those runs don’t materialize.
So maybe it’s not a stamina issue. Maybe it’s a late-game performance issue. Same thing, because the Lakers, at this point, can’t afford either.
• Luka and LeBron must win a game in Minnesota. Even if these two prevail Wednesday in the friendly confines of Crypto.com Arena, they’ll need to travel to Minneapolis, where a crazed crowd will certainly await, for Game 6.
The arena noise, according to those in the building, was ear-splitting for Game 4. Given the Wolves would be in position to close out the series — or face a do-or-die Game 7 if they fail — the home-court advantage will likely be significant enough.
So that’s the situation facing Luka and LeBron. If this first phase of the pairing has another gear, there’s no choice — it’s now or never. They must overcome Edwards (29 points, eight rebounds, six assists in the series) and keep McDaniels and Julius Randle (who’s playing the best playoffs of his career) from enjoying big stretches.
Because, given James’ age, how many more of these opportunities will this couple have in L.A.?