Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and led a suffocating defensive effort on Luka Doncic, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series.
Anthony Edwards added 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists as the Timberwolves closed the game on a 13-1 run after Doncic’s tying jumper. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” Edwards said.
Julius Randle contributed 22 points and helped drive a 56-26 advantage in points in the paint. “Our best closing effort of the year, no doubt,” coach Chris Finch said.
LeBron James carried the Lakers with 38 points, including a burst of three 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter. But James couldn’t maintain the momentum late, missing key shots as Minnesota pulled away. “He was shooting it from Yucatan,” Edwards joked.
Edwards sealed the win with a long jumper in the final minute, then urged the Target Center crowd to get louder. “That was probably the most fun I’ve had in Target Center, for sure,” he said.
Austin Reaves scored 20 points and made five 3-pointers for the Lakers, who stayed close by shooting well from distance but struggled with 19 turnovers. “They’re big, they’re long, they’re athletic,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. “We’re going to have some turnovers.”
Doncic, battling a stomach illness, finished with 17 points but had a sluggish first half and was bottled up most of the night by McDaniels’ defense.
Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday in Minneapolis at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
