The Wolves Must Shut the Lights Out Before They Come Home

Many of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ players didn’t realize that the Los Angeles Lakers hadn’t substituted anyone as they built a ten-point lead in the third quarter. Why would they think to check?

No team in the shot-clock era had used only five players in the second half of a playoff game.

The Lakers threw everything they had at Minnesota. Only 13 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit, and they’d play Game 5 in Los Angeles on Wednesday. “I feel like we took their best punches throughout the game to start the third and end the third,” Anthony Edwards said. “I felt like they was gassed going down the stretch.”

Minnesota stayed steady throughout the fourth. Anthony Edwards had 16 points on 4 of 7 shooting, Naz Reid was 2 of 2 from three and had eight points, and the Wolves outscored Los Angeles 32-19. Meanwhile, LA’s stars showed signs of fatigue. Luka Dončić finished 1 for 6 for seven points, and LeBron James went 0 for 2 and didn’t score.

Still, JJ Redick wisely sold out to win Game 4. The Wolves and Lakers get Monday and Tuesday off before playing at 9:00 pm Central Time on Wednesday. The sportsbooks favor Los Angeles by 5.5 points at home. Therefore, a win in Minnesota was an opportunity to flip the series and go up 3-2. When a series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 4 advances 79% of the time.

Many factors influence home-court advantage, but referee bias is the most significant factor, according to multiple studies. Even if it’s subconscious, referees favor the home team with calls. Consider how officiating impacted this series, which started in LA.

The Wolves won Game 1 117-95, but the officials whistled Minnesota (21) for more fouls than the Lakers (10).

Minnesota had fewer fouls (22) than the Lakers (24) in Game 2. However, Reid picked up three early fouls, and Donte DiVincenzo ran into foul trouble in the first half. Los Angeles outscored the Timberwolves 34-15 in the first quarter, but the Wolves outscored LA 70-60 in the final 36 minutes. They lost Game 2 in the first quarter.

The series moved to Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4. In Game 3, the Wolves had 19 fouls, and the Lakers had 23. On Sunday night, Minnesota had 23, and LA had 19.

Physicality, star calls, and referee error factor into which team gets a better whistle. Still, the Wolves feel it’s them against the world in this series.

It’s easy to read into narratives. The league wants Los Angeles to play the Golden State Warriors in the second round. James and Dončić are megastars. Everyone picked against the Wolves, so they want them to lose. Still, they can close out the Lakers on Wednesday.

“I told them it’s going to be the toughest game we’ve played all season, all series, because everyone is going to be against us,” Edwards said regarding Game 5. “Back against the wall in enemy territory. These are the moments that we should live for – going on the road and trying to close a team out.”

“It’s probably gonna be the toughest game of the series,” echoed Jaden McDaniels.

“No one ever wants the Timberwolves to win,” he added. “Knowing that the world’s against us, we’re just trying to prove everybody wrong.”

That may be true in some capacity. However, it ignores that Edwards has captured everyone’s attention. He may not want to be the face of the league, but he may be becoming it. Who can resist a charismatic two-way player with a shooter’s touch and a megawatt smile?

Edwards is the future. He and the Timberwolves must put James in the past. Don’t risk putting pressure on Game 6, knowing how hard it will be to win Game 7 in LA. Shut out the lights in Tinseltown and ensure that the next game they play in Minneapolis is in Round 2.