The Lakers targeted 19 wins for a very specific reason.
It was in early February, the morning before LeBron James would break the NBA’s all-time scoring record in fact, when Dennis Schroder put it on the record.
With 28 games left in their season, Schroder said the team’s mindset was to win at least 19 — that would be the number the Lakers would need to make it into the playoffs.
Days later, the roster would be remodeled and soon, the Lakers would play some of their best basketball of the season.
They’d win 18 more games, one short of their goal.
And that’s why, Tuesday night, they had to stand on the doorsteps of the playoffs with a younger, hungrier, looser team right next to them.
One more win, anywhere in the season, would’ve meant the Lakers were the No. 6 seed in the West. Maybe it was a whistle in Boston, a made free throw in Philadelphia, better rotations against the Pacers or the Mavericks — any of it — and the Lakers wouldn’t have been in this position.
So of course, it took one more comeback.
Down 15 in the second half, the Lakers looked like they had won the game on Dennis Schroder’s 3-point shot. But Anthony Davis fouled Mike Conley on a 3, with Conley sending the game to overtime with three made free throws.
But just like the Lakers season, the slow start wouldn’t define them, the team owning overtime to advance to the playoffs with a 108-102 win.
LeBron James scored 30 and had 10 rebounds in more than 45 minutes. Anthony Davis scored 24 and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Schroder, stepping in for the struggling D’Angelo Russell, finished with 21.
It’s the Lakers’ third trip to the playoffs in the last decade, all three coming in James’ tenure with the team. The Lakers will play the Grizzlies on Sunday in Memphis.
Minnesota scored just 12 points in the fourth and four points in overtime as the Lakers came back to earn their way into the playoffs.
It finished much better than it started.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley led Minnesota with 24 and 23 points, respectively. Towns had 13 rebounds and Conley had eight, each contributed five assists. Kyle Anderson had a game-high 13 assists in the loss. Anthony Edwards was held to nine points, making only three of 17 shots while missing all nine 3-point attempts.
The Lakers came out flat offensively and unorganized defensively, run over with better energy and better execution from a badly wounded Timberwolves team.
While the Lakers struggled through a win Sunday against Utah, Minnesota imploded in a game with New Orleans that would determine whether they would be eighth or ninth seed in the West.
First, Jaden McDaniels, one of the best and most versatile perimeter defenders in the NBA, broke his hand when he punched a wall in frustration. Then later in the first half, All-Star center and former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert swung at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout.
Gobert was sent home from the game and ultimately suspended.
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