Ant-Man turned into Batman.
In an instant classic, filled with twists and turns, the exciting drama that is the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers came so close to rewriting the script.
Instead, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves snatched the pen and paper out of their hands and wrote a stunning new chapter.
On a Sunday afternoon packed with nervous energy and tension in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves managed to erase a double-digit second-half deficit and stormed back to a nail biting and heart-stopping 116-113 victory over the Lakers, grabbing a commanding 3-1 lead in their opening-round series.
The Lakers now find themselves on the brink of elimination with Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles, at Crypto.com Arena.
If the Lakers needed a hero to save the day, Luka Doncic put on his cape and tried to answer the call. Battling through the lingering effects of a stomach bug that drained his energy during a Game 3 loss Friday, Doncic came out firing and ready to go in Game 4, lighting up the Timberwolves for 21 points in the first 24 minutes alone. He finished with 38, bobbing and weaving through defenders with that familiar mix of grace and toughness that only Luka can muster up.
“We haven’t lost nothing yet,” Doncic said. “It’s still the first one to four wins, and we’ve just got to still to believe.”
40-year-old LeBron James, as he always seems to do in moments like these, refused to let the Lakers go down without a fight.
James poured in 27 points and got to the line a season-high 18 times, bulldozing his way into the paint like freight train and a man possessed. He shouted, pointed, demanded, trying to will his team to the victory they desperately needed.
For a while, it looked like it might just work.
The Lakers led by as many as 12 points going into the fourth quarter. But the Timberwolves, a team that has been building a reputation of resilience all season, simply would not throw in the towel and give up.
One of the new faces of the league, Anthony Edwards, playing with the intensity of a man trying to lift an entire city that has been through a lot of turmoil on his back, exploded for 43 points, 16 of those in the final frame, along with nine rebounds and six assists. His fourth-quarter heroics were once again electric as he rallied the relentless Wolves back into the driver’s seat of this series.
Embed from Getty ImagesJulius Randle, who once played for the Lakers, added 25 points of his own, making his way through the Lakers’ interior defense like a battering ram.
“It’s going to be even harder to get the next one, so we’re going to have to fight through a lot,” Randle said, “but like we’ve done all year, we’ve got to rely on each other, play for one another, and we genuinely feel like if we do that, we give ourselves the best chance to win.”
Minnesota’s dominance in the paint told the story.
For the second consecutive game, they dominated the Lakers in the paint, outscoring them by 18, 48-30. On the boards, it was more of the same: 18 offensive rebounds for Minnesota compared to just 11 for Los Angeles, leading to a barrage of second-chance points that tilted the game in the Timberwolves late.
Last season’s Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels, quiet in the early going, turned into cold-blooded killers with the game hanging in the balance, nailing jumpers when it mattered most.
It was more than just talent that won this game for Minnesota. It was heart. It was hustle. It was the collective belief that they were not done.
“It’s been a hallmark of this team in the second half of the season: There’s been no panic,” said Wolves coach Chris Finch.
The Lakers, on the other hand, along with their coaching staff, will go back to the drawing board and are left searching for answers.
Turnovers, a theme that has haunted them all series, reared their ugly head again. Missed boxouts, rushed shots, and a fourth quarter where every mistake felt heavier than the last.
The loss stung not just because of what was lost on Sunday, but what it means going forward.
Minnesota now stands one win away from sending LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the rest of the Lakers into an offseason filled with what-ifs and regrets.
This series was built up to be a clash of titans, James and Doncic versus Edwards and Randle.
Instead, it has become a story of grit, of second chances taken advantage of, and a young Timberwolves team coming of age before our very eyes.
Tonight, under the roaring lights of Minneapolis, it is Minnesota’s night, and they earned every second of it.
