Timberwolves stun Lakers in Game 4 thriller pushing LA to brink of elimination

In the sprawling drama that is the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers thought they had rewritten the script.

Instead, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves snatched the pen from their hands — and wrote a stunning new chapter.

On a Sunday afternoon packed with tension and thunder in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves erased a double-digit second-half deficit and stormed back to a heart-stopping 116-113 victory over the Lakers, grabbing a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round series.

The Lakers now finds themselves on the brink of elimination with Game 5 set for Wednesday in Los Angeles.

If the Lakers were looking for a hero, Luka Doncic tried to answer the call. Battling through the lingering effects of a stomach virus that sapped his energy during a Game 3 loss, Doncic came out firing in Game 4, torching the Timberwolves for 21 points in the first half alone. He finished with 38, weaving through defenders with that familiar mix of grace and grit that only Luka can conjure.

LeBron James, as he always does in moments like these, refused to let the Lakers go down without a fight.

James poured in 27 points and shot a season-high 18 free throws, bulldozing his way into the paint like a man possessed. He shouted, pointed, demanded — trying to will his team to the win they desperately needed.

For a while, it looked like it might just work.

The Lakers led by as many as 12 points entering the fourth quarter, a lead that once felt like a life raft in a swirling sea. But the Timberwolves, a team that has been building a reputation for resilience all season, simply would not fold.

Anthony Edwards, playing with the ferocity of a man trying to lift an entire city on his back, exploded for 43 points. His fourth-quarter heroics were once again electric as he rallied the relentless Wolves back into the driver's seat of this series.

Julius Randle added 25 points of his own, bulldozing his way through the Lakers' interior defense like a battering ram.

Minnesota’s dominance inside told the story.

For the second straight game, they battered the Lakers in the paint, outscoring them 48-30. On the glass, it was more of the same: 18 offensive rebounds for Minnesota compared to just 11 for Los Angeles, leading to a flurry of second-chance points that tilted the game late.

Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels, quiet shadows early, turned into assassins down the stretch — drilling cold-blooded jumpers when it mattered most.

It wasn’t just talent that won this game for Minnesota. It was heart. It was hustle. It was the collective belief that they were not finished.

The Lakers, on the other hand, are left searching for answers.

Turnovers — a theme that's haunted them all series — reared their ugly head again. Missed boxouts, rushed shots, and a fourth quarter where every mistake felt heavier than the last.

The loss stung not just because of what was lost today, but what it means for tomorrow.

Minnesota now stands one win away from sending LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the rest of the Lakers into an offseason filled with what-ifs.

This series was supposed to be a clash of stars — James and Doncic versus Edwards and Randle.

Instead, it’s become a story of grit. Of second chances seized. Of a young Timberwolves team coming of age in real-time.

Game 5 looms large back in Los Angeles.

But tonight, under the roaring lights of Minneapolis, it’s Minnesota’s night.

And they earned every last second of it.