Not to be overlooked in Minnesota’s game-closing effort was its stellar defensive showing. The Lakers missed five straight shots after tying the game at 103-103 before Los Angeles coach J.J. Redick waved the white flag and removed the starters from the game in the final minute.

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped a critical road contest to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night as the T'Wolves took a 2-1 series lead with a 116-104 win at the Target Center.

One of the questions for the Timberwolves in this playoff series against the Lakers was how would they respond in a tight game against two stars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic who have thrived in those situations.