This Lakers-Wolves series has been a heavyweight fight through three games. Minnesota dominated Game 1, Los Angeles responded in Game 2 and then the Wolves won at home in Game 3.
Now, Los Angeles is down and needs to win inside a hostile Target Center to avoid being down 3-1 in this opening round series.
The bad news for the Lakers is that there aren’t many more players they can go to for contributions.
JJ Redick is playing eight guys 10-plus minutes and that’s not including Jaxson Hayes, who is still starting despite his limited role. This late into the season, asking for rookie Dalton Knecht or Alex Len to save the Lakers would probably mean they are doomed.
The good news is that this series has been relatively close and with a couple of adjustments, it could be even after Sunday.
The Lakers have yet to change their starting lineup and with Redick admitting they don’t have a rim protector, maybe it’s time to bench Hayes and give Dorian Finney-Smith the start.
Besides that adjustment, the improvement needed can also come from within.
Austin Reaves has struggled during this series, so he’s overdue for a big game. Can he score 25-plus points in Game 4 to give L.A. some much-needed offense?
The other two that comprise the Lakers’ Big 3 have been a mixed bag.
While LeBron James was superb, scoring 38 points in Game 3, Luka Dončić was mediocre. Now, he was dealing with a stomach bug, so he had a valid excuse, but still, he was out there and one could argue it hurt more than it helped.
Hopefully, he’s better on Sunday and ready to go. The Lakers certainly think he’ll be fine, as he is nowhere to be found on the injury report.
If you want to put some friendly bets on the Lakers turning things around for Game 4, FanDuel has some player prop bets you should consider.
Reaves scoring 25-plus points is set at +360, which is the best odds fans have had on that number during this series. LeBron replicating his performance on Game 3 with 30-plus points in Game 4 is set at +260.
James has had the most 30-plus-point playoff games in the history of the NBA with 123 and counting. That seems like the kind of guy to put your money on when a team needs a big performance to avoid disaster.
The Lakers will need something to change if they want to return to Los Angeles with the series even. It’s been a goldilocks situation for the Lakers this series, with either someone in their big three struggling, the offense disappearing, or the defense failing to get stops.
They have yet to put together a complete 48-minute game against the Wolves. Game 4 would be the ideal time to do so.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
