It's playoff fever in the Twin Cities with both the Minnesota Wild - who lost another heartbreaker to the Las Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday - and the Minnesota Timberwolves both in hard-fought round one playoff series.
The Timberwolves can clinch a spot in the second round of the NBA playoffs Wednesday night when they play the Lakers in Los Angeles. The Wolves lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 after a win Sunday afternoon at Target Center.
One of the biggest rooting interests in the Wolves continuing a playoff run is Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey who will be getting together with friends to watch the game after being at the game Sunday.
"Yeah, I think that's what we've all got to be doing, get together, have a great time, have a drink, watch the Timberwolves kick some ass," the mayor joked with Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News.
If the Lakers win, Game 6 of the series is back at Target Center on Friday night.
Frey was joined at the game Sunday at Target Center with his colleague from across the river but Frey didn't make trip to watch the Wild at the Xcel Energy Center Saturday.
"Well, Mayor (Melvin) Carter and I were sitting inches away from each other at the Wolves game," Frey explained. "I was not at the wild game. I saw him immediately after, we've been hanging out a lot together lately and I think it helps when Minnesota teams are really rocking."
LAKERS NOW FACE MUST-WIN SITUATION
As far as the game on the court, Los Angeles knows they need to be ready to finish off games in the 4th quarter a lot better. The younger, seemingly more fresh Timberwolves have dominated the last two games late.
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick saw the urgency he was anticipating Tuesday while his team practiced before what could be its final game of a tumultuous season.
“I would describe us as on edge,” Redick said. “As we should be.”
If the series gets to a Game 7, it would be back in Los Angeles but for the Lakers, they can't look ahead, needing to win three straight games to advance.
“We definitely have to treat it like Game 7,” Laker star Luka Doncic said. “If you lose, you go home, no matter what. We can’t look in the future. Got to focus on this game, and then from there go on.”
“We definitely have to treat it like Game 7,” Luka Doncic said. “If you lose, you go home, no matter what. We can’t look in the future. Got to focus on this game, and then from there go on.”
“We don’t have much practice together, so it’s hard to get the chemistry on the court, but I think we’re ready for it,” Doncic said. “We could have won some games (in the series). Little mistakes cost us, but we’re still confident we can win, and we’re going to go after (it with) everything.”
WOLVES ARE CONFIDENT PLAYING IN LA
The Wolves Anthony Edwards criticized the intensity of the Lakers’ home crowd earlier in the series, but he decided after Game 4 that Los Angeles’ downtown arena is a difficult place to play after all.
“I told them it’s going to be the toughest game that we’ve played all season, all series, because everyone is going to be against us,” Edwards said. “It’s going to be 300,000 people and then the Timberwolves, 12 players and the coaches and the people in the organization that travels with us. Back against the wall in enemy territory. These are the moments that we should live for — going on the road and trying to close a team out. It’s going to be tough, going to be a tough atmosphere, but it should be fun. If you like competing at the highest level, I told them it should be fun.”
Edwards thought the Lakers looked tired in the fourth quarter of Game 4 after Redick curiously played the same five players for the entire second half — and many Lakers fans thought Edwards was correct, exposing Redick to some of the most significant criticism he has faced in his successful rookie season.
Redick rejected that notion Tuesday, instead suggesting the Lakers’ poor execution down the stretch in their 19-point fourth quarter of Game 4 — with none of those points from James — were symptomatic of a fourth-quarter malaise throughout the series.
“Looking back now, what did we score, 19, 20, 13 in the fourth quarter (of the first three games)?” Redick asked. “It’s a trend. More so than that, our two best players missed layups at the rim (in Game 4). I don’t think they missed layups because they were tired.”
GAME 5 PREVIEW
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (50-32, third in the Western Conference)
Los Angeles; Wednesday, 9 p.m. CDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lakers -5.5; over/under is 209.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Timberwolves lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves look to clinch the series over the Los Angeles Lakers in game five of the Western Conference first round. The Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 116-113 in the last matchup on Sunday. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 43 points, and Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 38.
The Lakers have gone 36-16 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles averages 113.4 points and has outscored opponents by 1.2 points per game.
The Timberwolves are 33-19 in Western Conference play. Minnesota ranks eighth in the Western Conference with 11.1 offensive rebounds per game led by Rudy Gobert averaging 3.7.
The Lakers score 113.4 points per game, 4.1 more points than the 109.3 the Timberwolves allow. The Timberwolves average 15.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.4 more made shots on average than the 13.6 per game the Lakers give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: LeBron James is averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists for the Lakers. Doncic is averaging 29.5 points, six rebounds and five assists over the last 10 games.
Julius Randle is averaging 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the Timberwolves. Edwards is averaging 30.5 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 48.8% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 5-5, averaging 110.9 points, 40.5 rebounds, 22.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.2 points per game.
Timberwolves: 8-2, averaging 113.0 points, 44.2 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.6 points.
INJURIES: Lakers: Maxi Kleber: day to day (foot).
Timberwolves: Rob Dillingham: day to day (ankle).
The Associated Press contributed to this story.