Lakers Tame Wolves
LeBron James (30 points) and Anthony Davis (24) combined for 54 points as the Los Angeles Lakers tamed the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102 in overtime. The Lakers will advance to the NBA playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, where they will face the Memphis Grizzlies.
James also contributed 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. He shot 12-21 from the field — including 3-6 from 3-point range — and made all three of his free throws.
Davis grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds (including nine offensive boards), blocked three shots, and recorded two steals. He made 10 of his 19 attempts from the field.
Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 21 points for the Lakers. Schroder shot 5-12 from the field with three 3-pointers made and made all eight of his free throws.
The Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns scored a team-high 24 points in the loss, adding 11 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Towns shot 8-12 from the field and made all six of his free throws.
Teammate Mike Conley scored 23 points on 7-11 shooting from the field (including 6-8 from 3-point range). Conley hit three clutch free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards struggled mightily with his shot, making just three of his 17 attempts from the field. Edwards missed all nine of his 3-point attempts. The only other player in franchise history to attempt at least nine 3-pointers in game without a make is Robert Covington, who went 0-10 in a regular season game on Nov. 24, 2018.
Kyle Anderson had a solid all-around game for the Timberwolves, producing 12 points, a game-high 13 assists, five rebounds, four steals, and four blocks.
The Timberwolves will have one more chance to qualify for the playoffs, facing the winner of tomorrow night’s game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Hawks Clean Glass
The Atlanta Hawks cleaned the glass in a 116-105 victory over the Miami Heat, posting a 63-39 rebounding advantage, including a 22-6 edge on the offensive boards. The Hawks will advance to the NBA playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, where they will face the Boston Celtics.
Hawks center Clint Capela was chairman of the boards, grabbing a game-high 21 rebounds in just 28 minutes played. Eight of Capela’s rebounds came on the offensive end, and he also blocked two shots.
Trae Young scored a team-high 25 points for the Hawks, adding eight rebounds and seven assists. Young made just one of his eight 3-point attempts, but shot 7-10 from 2-point range and hit eight of his nine free throws.
The Heat’s Kyle Lowry scored a game-high 33 points in the loss, his first 30-point game in almost two years (May 2, 2021). Lowry shot 11-16 from the field — including 6-9 from 3-point range — and made all five of his free throws.
Backcourt mate Tyler Herro scored 26 points on 12-23 shooting from the field, but did not attempt a free throw nor record an assist. Herro also misfired on seven of his nine 3-point attempts.
The Heat will have one more chance to qualify for the playoffs, facing the winner of tomorrow night’s game between the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls.