LeBron James’ team needed overtime to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-102, a result that guaranteed the Los Angeles club a place in the play-offs.
With this victory, led by LeBron James, with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and by Anthony Davis, with 24 points and 15 rebounds, the Lakers confirmed their 7th place in the Western Conference standings and now in the first round of the final match forces with the Memphis Grizzlies. After fighting back from a 10-point deficit, the Lakers tasted victory.
Next stop, Playoffs pic.twitter.com/iboiqd96Ef
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 12, 2023
“This is what our sport is all about: getting to April and having a chance to play in the postseason,” James, 38, said after the win. “We’ve been on the test all year and since the All-Star break we’ve been playing good basketball.”
The Lakers needed extra time to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, a result that guaranteed the Los Angeles team a place in the NBA play-offs.
James hit a 3-pointer past Germany international Dennis Schroder, putting Los Angeles up 98-95 with just 1.4 seconds left.
this energy pic.twitter.com/7iiIToDMtJ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 12, 2023
But as the home team prepared to celebrate, Mike Conley was fouled by Anthony Davis as the Timberwolves veteran attempted an equalizer. The host team kept the lead and after an unsuccessful three-point attempt by Taurean Prince, which could have gotten the tie, the Lakers won.
In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks also managed to guarantee the classification to the “play-offs” by beating the Miami Heat, by 116-105. In the next phase, they will face the Boston Celtics.
All is not lost for the Timberwolves either. The team awaits the outcome of the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The winner will travel to Minnesota on Friday to determine the eighth seed in the Western Conference. That team will face the Denver Nuggets in the first round, while the loser will be in the lottery.
Source: TSF
