Game ID: 42400163
Los Angeles Lakers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Friday, April 25, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 32 22 32 30 116LAL 26 32 26 20 104
LAL @ MIN ScoutingLAL @ MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIN availability going into 4/11 · back-to-backBACK Dillingham back 4/10 after 2, 1 min since (8% of 10)
MIN availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restBACK Dillingham back 4/10 after 2, 2 min since (21% of 10)
MIN availability going into 4/19 · 5 days' restBACK Dillingham back 4/10 after 2, 2 min since (21% of 10)
MIN availability going into 4/22 · 2 days' restOUT Dillingham missed 2 since 4/13, out tonight
MIN availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restOUT Dillingham missed 3 since 4/13, out tonight
MIN availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 2 since 4/22, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 4 since 4/13, out tonight
MIN availability going into 4/30 · 2 days' restOUT Clark missed 3 since 4/22, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 5 since 4/13, out tonight
NEW Randle 33 to 38 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 5/06 · 5 days' restOUT Clark missed 4 since 4/22, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 6 since 4/13, out tonight
NEW Randle 33 to 38 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 5/08 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 5 since 4/22, returns tonight: 3 min (28% of 12)
OUT Dillingham missed 7 since 4/13, out tonight
NEW Edwards 37 to 42 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 10 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 10 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 3 min since (27% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 11 since 3/24, returns tonight: 33 min (212% of 16)
OUT Len missed 11 since 3/24, returns tonight: 14 min (130% of 10)
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 3 min since (30% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/19 · 5 days' restBACK Morris back 4/13 after 11, 33 min since (212% of 16)
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 14 min since (130% of 10)
NEW Milton 11 to 16 min over the last 3
LAL availability going into 4/22 · 2 days' restBACK Morris back 4/13 after 11, 33 min since (212% of 16)
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 8 min since (79% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restOUT Morris missed 2 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 8 min since (79% of 10)
NEW Milton 11 to 17 min over the last 3
LAL availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 3 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/30 · 2 days' restOUT Morris missed 4 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 6 min since (55% of 10)
NEW Dončić 36 to 42 min over the last 4
NEW James 35 to 41 min over the last 4
NEW Finney-Smith 29 to 35 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 38 and James at 20 a game. Without Morris (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-6 a night and the Lakers minus-1. Call it Minnesota 112, the Lakers 106.
4/11 vs BKN 117-91 — MIN notes
MIN won 117-91. MIN shot 55% (42 of 77) to BKN's 37%, 11 of 31 from three, and went to the line 29 times to BKN's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 13. Gobert led with 35 (13 of 17, 9 of 14 at the line); Randle added 21, McDaniels 11. The hinge was Q3, 34-21: a lead of 12 became 25, and the lead reached 28. Randle was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
4/13 vs UTA 116-105 — MIN notes
MIN won 116-105. MIN shot 47% (46 of 98) to UTA's 45%, 13 of 43 from three. The glass went 54-40 for them. Edwards led with 43 (15 of 31, 7 of 18 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Gobert added 19, DiVincenzo 16. The hinge was Q3, 40-28: a lead of 1 became 13, and the lead reached 18. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
4/19 @ LAL 117-95 — MIN notes
MIN won 117-95. MIN shot 51% (44 of 86) to LAL's 40%, 21 of 42 from three, and got to the line 10 times to LAL's 16. McDaniels led with 25 (11 of 13, 3 of 3 from three); Reid added 23, Edwards 22. The hinge was Q2, 38-20: MIN came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 27. McDaniels was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
4/22 @ LAL 85-94 — MIN notes
MIN lost 85-94. MIN shot 38% (30 of 79) to LAL's 45%, 5 of 25 from three. Randle led with 27 (9 of 17, 2 of 4 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Edwards added 25. Q4 was theirs, 20-13, the deficit cut from 16 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 81-65 against them. DiVincenzo's -17 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/25 vs LAL 116-104 — MIN notes
MIN won 116-104. MIN shot 48% (44 of 91) to LAL's 47%, 13 of 36 from three. MIN turned it over 8 times to LAL's 16. McDaniels led with 30 (13 of 22, 1 of 5 from three); Edwards added 29, Randle 22. The hinge was Q4, 30-20: a lead of 2 became 12. MIN trailed 54-58 at the half and won the second half 62-46. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
4/27 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 98, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 23 a game. Without Morris (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 98 a night to the Lakers' 107 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-2. Call it Minnesota 112, the Lakers 104.
4/30 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 109, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 26 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morris (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Randle at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 14 times a game to Minnesota's 10. Call it Minnesota 109, the Lakers 107, the Lakers keeping it close.
5/06 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 100, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 5 days' rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 107, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Butler III at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-5 a night and Golden State minus-4 and the line, where Minnesota takes 24 free throws a game to Golden State's 18. Call it Minnesota 111, Golden State 106.
5/08 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 101, shooting 42 percent and 25 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 23 a game. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 106, shooting 42 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Curry at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Golden State at 37 percent from three to Minnesota's 25 and the line, where Minnesota takes 26 free throws a game to Golden State's 18. Call it Minnesota 109, Golden State 106, Golden State keeping it close.
4/11 vs HOU 140-109 — LAL notes
LAL won 140-109. LAL shot 61% (53 of 87) to HOU's 46%, 19 of 37 from three, and went to the line 25 times to HOU's 12 — 15 points from the stripe to their 9. LAL turned it over 12 times to HOU's 18. Dončić led with 39 (13 of 19, 5 of 9 from three, 8 of 14 at the line); Reaves added 23, Finney-Smith 18. The hinge was Q2, 40-24: a lead of 6 became 22, and the lead reached 31. Vincent was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
4/13 @ POR 81-109 — LAL notes
LAL lost 81-109. LAL shot 39% (31 of 80) to POR's 44%, 9 of 28 from three, and got to the line 14 times to POR's 21. LAL turned it over 20 times to POR's 14. The glass went 42-56 against them. Knecht led with 27 (9 of 21, 5 of 12 from three); Milton added 16, Goodwin 12. Q4 was theirs, 20-20, but the other 3 periods went 89-61 against them. Knecht's -28 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/19 vs MIN 95-117 — LAL notes
LAL lost 95-117. LAL shot 40% (33 of 83) to MIN's 51%, 15 of 41 from three, and went to the line 16 times to MIN's 10 — 14 points from the stripe to their 8. Dončić led with 37 (12 of 22, 5 of 10 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); L. James added 19, Reaves 16. Q1 was theirs, 28-21, but the other 3 periods went 96-67 against them. Hachimura's -26 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/22 vs MIN 94-85 — LAL notes
LAL won 94-85. LAL shot 45% (34 of 75) to MIN's 38%, 6 of 29 from three. Dončić led with 31 (9 of 20, 2 of 8 from three, 11 of 11 at the line); James added 21, Reaves 16. The hinge was Q1, 34-15: from level to 19 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Dončić was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
4/25 @ MIN 104-116 — LAL notes
LAL lost 104-116. LAL shot 47% (37 of 78) to MIN's 48%, 17 of 40 from three. LAL turned it over 16 times to MIN's 8, and MIN turned those into 10 steals. James led with 38 (13 of 21, 5 of 9 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Reaves added 20, Dončić 17. Q2 was theirs, 32-22, turning a 6-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 94-72 against them. Hachimura's -19 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/27 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 98, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 23 a game. Without Morris (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 98 a night to the Lakers' 107 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-2. Call it Minnesota 112, the Lakers 104.
4/30 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 109, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 26 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morris (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Randle at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 14 times a game to Minnesota's 10. Call it Minnesota 109, the Lakers 107, the Lakers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAR A. Reaves
DF D. Finney-Smith
DK D. Knecht
DO Doncic
GV G. Vincent
JG J. Goodwin
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
RH R. Hachimura
MINAE A. Edwards
DD D. DiVincenzo
JM J. McDaniels
JR J. Randle
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
LAL/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Wolves top Lakers 116-104 in Game 3 to take series lead behind both-ways standout Jaden McDaniels
MINNEAPOLIS -- — The Minnesota Timberwolves , with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well.
Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota's stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic , and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round series on Friday night.
“Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards , who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored the Lakers 13-1 over the final 4:37 after Doncic’s tying baseline jumper.
“Our best closing effort of the year, no doubt,” coach Chris Finch said.
LeBron James did the heavy lifting with Doncic playing through a stomach illness, scoring 38 points. He made three 3-pointers in a four-possession span midway through the fourth quarter.
“He was shooting it from Yucatan,” Edwards quipped. “He was shooting it crazy.”
But James couldn't find a shot after that torrid stretch, even hitting the side of the backboard with a corner heave with the Lakers down 111-104 with 1:26 left. Edwards drained a long 2-pointer on the next possession to wrap it up, sauntering over to the edge of the court during a timeout to encourage the crowd to get even louder.
“That was probably the most fun I’ve had in Target Center, for sure,” Edwards said.
Game 4 is in Minneapolis on Sunday.
Austin Reaves had 20 points on 5-for-11 shooting from 3-point range, where the Lakers stayed hot all night to stay close — offsetting 19 turnovers the Wolves converted into 28 points.
“They’re big, they’re long, they’re athletic, they pressure the basketball, they make everything tough,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. “We’re going to have some turnovers.”
Randle, a first-round draft pick by the Lakers in 2014 who missed the playoffs last year with New York and has only played in 18 career postseason games, was especially fired up for his first home playoff game with Minnesota. He went 9 for 10 from the free throw line and hustled all over the floor, leading the charge in a 56-26 edge the Wolves had in points in the paint.
Doncic was frequently smothered by McDaniels, Minnesota’s ace perimeter defender, and had a particularly sluggish start. Doncic needed a step-back 28-footer with Edwards guarding him in the closing seconds of the first half to get to eight points at the break.