The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in one of the toughest stretches of the entire season and the team is not only staying afloat but is defying expectations as well. Los Angeles is starting to pick up steam and that included beating the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves back on Sunday night.
Los Angeles has played all three of the top teams in the West over the last two weeks and is 2-1 against those three teams with wins over the Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder. If anything, these wins are reassuring that with the right playoff bracket, the Lakers can go on a run.
The Lakers are not going to be scared of the Minnesota Timberwolves if they have to play them in the first round and that might be the best-case scenario for LA. Minnesota definitely doesn't want to see the Lake Show in the first round, especially with how the matchup might benefit the Lakers (and the not-so-distant past of the Lakers beating the T-Wolves in last year's Play-In Tournament).
The Timberwolves seem to be a bit arrogant to this challenge, though. Instead of admitting that the Lakers were the better team on Sunday night, Anthony Edwards resorted to excuses. In classic NBA fashion, Edwards blamed the officiating for the team's loss against the Lakers.
Anthony Edwards: "It’s tough every night when we don’t get to the free-throw line as much as the other team. When one player shoots more free throws than your entire team, it’s tough." Wolves had as many free throws as Anthony Davis alone (13).
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 11, 2024
Anthony Edwards' petty Anthony Davis complaint is hilarious for Lakers fans
Yes, it is factual that the Timberwolves had as many free throws as Anthony Davis had in this game but that is not why the Lakers won. The Lakers won because Davis was an absolute beast around the rim, finishing with 27 points and 25 rebounds in the contest.
That is not a typo and if the Timberwolves were worried about boxing Davis out instead of complaining about foul calls then maybe the game could have gone differently. Davis picked up the fouls for his physical play near the basket while the Timberwolves chucked up 46 three-point shots.
Of course, you are not going to get many fouls as a team when you take 46 threes in the game. The Lakers play a brand of basketball that is closer to the rim that is meant to get other teams in foul trouble. That is completely different than taking 46 threes.
But hey, the T-Wolves can blame it on the officiating all they want because the fact of the matter is that Anthony Davis and the Lakers are a nightmare first-round matchup for the team. This Lakers core knows what it takes to knock off a high-seeded team in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Minnesota better hope it doesn't have to see LA in that scenario.