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.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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.
One more win.
It required overtime Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers scoring seven of the first nine points in the extra period to pull out a 108-102 victory and advance to the first round of the playoffs against the No. 2-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Game 1 is Sunday.
The Lakers almost won it in regulation. With the score tied and 21.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the ball bounced from James’ right hand. He drove baseline, skied in the air and, at the last second, fired the ball to the corner, where Schroder stood in front of the Minnesota bench.
Swish.
But win 20 would need to wait, Anthony Davis fouled Mike Conley with one-tenth of a second left in regulation on a corner three, the veteran guard making all three free throws to force overtime.
James finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Davis 24 points, 15 rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. Schroder added 21 points and four assists off the bench.
Lakers forward LeBron James passes the ball over a defender to a teammate cutting to the basket during the first half Tuesday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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 three-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.