The Los Angeles Lakers lost a crucial Game 4 battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon, 116-113, to fall down 3-1 in the first-round playoff series. Head coach JJ Redick was at the center of conversations surrounding the defeat after his bold decision to play the same five players for the entirety of the second half.
LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura didn't sit for even a second from the start of the third quarter on. It was a move never before seen in the modern NBA, with Redick becoming the first coach to play the same lineup for an entire half in the play-by-play era. It earned Redick plenty of criticism, even from Magic Johnson, as many openly wondered if the Lakers were too tired to close out a must-win game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
