Edwards drops 43; Wolves push Lakers to brink

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Anthony Edwards scored 43 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves outgunned the Los Angeles Lakers down the stretch to win a pulsating National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff clash, 116-113, and take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.

Luka Doncic scored 38 points and LeBron James added 27 for the Lakers, who took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter but are now one game away from elimination.

Jaden McDaniels drove for a basket and drew a foul with 39.5 seconds to play, converting the free throw to put Minnesota up, 114-113.

McDaniels then stole an inbounds pass from James and Edwards drew a foul on the Lakers superstar and made two free throws that sealed it as Austin Reaves missed a final three-point attempt.

The Lakers will try to stay alive in the best-of-seven series when they host Game 5 on Wednesday.

Only 13 NBA teams have rallied from 3-1 down to win a playoff series.

“We haven’t lost anything yet,” Doncic said.

“It’s still the first one to four wins.”

The defending champion Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers all took 3-1 leads in their Eastern Conference series.

The Celtics held off the Orlando Magic, 107-98, the Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons, 94-93, and the Pacers led wire-to-wire in a 129-103 victory over the Bucks in Milwaukee.

In Minneapolis, it was a frantic finish to a physical game.

Doncic and James played 46 of the game’s 48 minutes. That included every minute of the second half, when coach JJ Redick stuck to the same five players throughout.

Trailing by three at halftime, the Lakers opened the third quarter on a 14-0 scoring run and led by as many as 12, taking a 94-84 lead into the final frame.

Edwards scored 16 in the fourth quarter to lead the Timberwolves back.

‘It’s still the first one to four wins.’

“I felt like they were gassed going down the stretch,” Edwards said.

“So just trying to keep my foot on the pedal and keep going.”

But James, 40, said he didn’t think fatigue was a factor.

“Luka missed a point-blank layup to put us up seven. I missed a point-blank layup to put us up four. We had a couple opportunities. I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with that,” he said.

In Detroit, Jalen Brunson scored 32 points and Karl-Anthony Towns’ 27 points for the Knicks included two crucial late baskets.

But the game ended amid controversy as Detroit’s Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a last-gasp shot at the buzzer with no foul called as he was bumped by Josh Hart.

Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fuming that no foul was called but had no challenge remaining.

“There’s contact on Tim Hardaway’s jump shot,” Bickerstaff said.

“I repeat, there’s contact on his jump shot.”

David Guthrie, the officiating crew chief, acknowledged after the game that Bickerstaff was correct, saying that a post-game review showed “Hart makes body contact that is more than marginal to Hardaway Jr. and a foul should have been called.”