Same Story, New Ending? Lakers Look to Rewrite Their Playoff Fate

Now four games into the series, the Timberwolves hold a commanding 3–1 lead, and the Lakers face the daunting task of winning two straight games just to force a Game 7 at home—then winning that to take the series. For Lakers fans, this script feels painfully familiar. The playoff struggles have only grown: L.A. is now 2–11 in its last 13 playoff games, many of which have come down to the wire, marred by blown leads and fourth-quarter collapses. In six of those losses, the Lakers held double-digit leads.

Much like last year’s first-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets—where the Lakers led for 69% of total game time yet still lost the series 4–1—you could argue they’ve controlled large portions of this series as well. Through four games, they’ve often come out strong, but their downfall has consistently come in the final quarter.

Here’s a breakdown of the scoring by quarter through Game 4:

As you can see, the Timberwolves have thoroughly dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lakers by a staggering 36 points—clearly the most decisive factor in the series so far.

In Game 4, head coach JJ Redick went all-in, deploying the Lakers' version of a “death lineup” for the entire third quarter—and eventually the fourth—as Austin Reaves, Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Rui Hachimura stayed on the floor without a single substitution. It was a high-risk, high-reward move—the first time since tracking began in 1997 that a team made no substitutions in the second half of a playoff game. Early on, it looked like a brilliant gamble. The Lakers opened the half on a 14–0 run, poured in 36 points in the third, and entered the final quarter with a 10-point lead, their offense humming like never before in the series.

And yet, the fourth-quarter collapse struck again. Let’s dive into what went wrong—and what the Lakers need to fix if they hope to pull off the uphill 3–1 comeback.

Mismatch Hunting Without Movement: L.A.'s Offensive Downfall

What was expected to be a strength for the Lakers in this series—their late-game shot creation—has instead emerged as one of their biggest weaknesses. With two of the greatest offensive creators the NBA has ever seen in LeBron James and Luka Dončić, along with a highly capable secondary playmaker in Austin Reaves, L.A.’s fourth-quarter offense was projected to be a reliable closing weapon. Instead, through four games, it has arguably become their most glaring flaw.

In Game 4, the Lakers were outscored by 13 in the final quarter, once again exposing the late-game execution issues that have plagued them throughout the series. Los Angeles shot just 5-of-18 from the field in the fourth, with James, Dončić, and Reaves combining to shoot 3-of-15 for only 13 points. On the other end, Anthony Edwards delivered a masterful performance, outscoring the Lakers’ trio by himself with 16 points in the quarter. Naz Reid added 8 more, consistently answering every time L.A. looked ready to seize control.

The offensive stagnation was apparent once again as the Lakers repeatedly milked the clock while relying on isolation-heavy possessions, often without ball reversals, off-ball screens, or interior penetration. Their approach centered on mismatch-hunting with James, Dončić, or Reaves—but against Minnesota’s physical and elite ball-pressure defense, that strategy proved ineffective. Possessions frequently featured a single high screen followed by a contested jumper, with little to no off-ball movement and the ball rarely touching the paint.

In what was supposed to be a lethal offensive trio, Reaves, Dončić, and James has posted an abysmal fourth-quarter offensive rating of 81.8 in the playoffs. Even L.A.’s so-called “death lineup”—designed to be its most potent offensive unit—has underperformed. That group holds an offensive rating of 106.1 overall in the playoffs, dead last among all lineups with at least 10 minutes played together. In the fourth quarter specifically, that number plummets to 80.4.

When the lineup has worked, particularly in the third quarter of Game 4, it was because of decisive dribble penetration from Reaves, James, or Dončić. This either created drive-and-kick opportunities for open threes or forced Minnesota to blitz the ballhandler, allowing the Lakers to play 4-on-3 downhill and generate open looks on the perimeter or easy finishes at the rim.

To regain control late in games, the Lakers must re-establish consistent dribble penetration to collapse the defense and force rotations. This, in turn, can generate the ball movement needed to free up shooters and relieve pressure on their primary creators. While fatigue may have played a role in the stagnation seen in Game 4— given the lack of substitutions during the second half—the issues go beyond just tired legs. This has been a consistent pattern throughout the series: late-clock isolations, minimal off-ball activity, and a predictable offense that struggles to generate quality looks when it matters most. If the Lakers continue to fall into this trap, their offense will remain stagnant, and their chances of a comeback will fade—sending them home in 5.