The Los Angeles Lakers were handed a deflating 116-113 loss in Game 4 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, as Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 43 points to give his team a 3-1 advantage in the series.
Los Angeles’ generational duo of Luka Dončić and LeBron James combined for 65 points on 48.6% shooting from the field, though the latter of the pair notably contributed nothing of value from a scoring perspective following the conclusion of the third quarter.
The 4-time NBA champion did not register a single point in the final frame of Game 4, coming away empty on both of his two total field goal attempts in the last 12 minutes of the contest.
As a result of his disappointing fourth-quarter effort, former 5-time NBA champion and all-time great Lakers point guard Magic Johnson took to social media to air his grievances with James’ subpar late-game performance.
“I don’t know if it (was) smart to play LeBron and Luka the entire second half after only having one day of rest between Games 3 and 4,” Johnson shared via Twitter/X on Sunday night.
“When we needed LeBron to take over in the fourth quarter he couldn’t – he scored 0 points in the fourth.”
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The 40-year-old future Hall-of-Fame inductee James finished the night with sensational box score figures of 27 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks, but his passive mentality in clutch time ultimately had a hand in Los Angeles’ massively important loss.
Though Johnson’s claim to fame throughout his illustrious career with the Lakers was his unbelievable passing ability, the 3-time league MVP, Finals MVP and flashy floor general was quick to offer his perspective on James’ inability to put the ball in the hoop in the late stages of Game 4 against Minnesota.
With Los Angeles now looking to pull off an improbable 3-1 comeback against Edwards’ surging Timberwolves, James’ assertiveness as an on-ball scoring threat would likely have to be the driving force behind any miraculous run.
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