LeBron James was spectacular with 38 points and 10 rebounds, setting the mark for most points scored in an NBA playoff game by a 40-year-old. But he wasn’t good enough to cover up arguably the Lakers’ biggest problem.
The lack of rim protection.
On Friday night, in Minnesota’s 116-104 victory over Los Angeles in Game 3 of their NBA first-round playoff series, the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers in the paint 56-26.
The trade of big man Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic has left the Lakers exposed in the paint. And Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels, a 6-9 forward, exploited the issue while scoring a career-high 30 points.