LeBron James always knows how to pull off impossible victories or emerge victorious during the toughest battles. Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers played against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a match that would determine their future ahead of the playoffs. Bron kept pushing until his team managed to pull through. Now, LA prepares to face off against the Memphis Grizzlies, which will be an even tougher scenario.
But it seems as if the Lakers’ efforts weren’t good enough to impress the Chuckster. Following the game, the hit sports entertainment show ‘NBA on TNT’ host, Ernie Johnson, would ask Charles Barkley, “Are you not entertained?” Barkley would respond saying, “I was not. That was awful basketball.” Even though Chuck does not hate the Lakers or LeBron James, he certainly was not entertained by Game 1 of the play-in tournament.
Ernie: “are you not entertained?”
Charles Barkley: “I was not. That was awful basketball”— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 12, 2023
Charles has always criticized the Lakers for their shortcomings, especially in recent times. LA did not have a very good start to the season and got sucked into a whirlpool of issues. For as good as their roster is, the Lakers should have been able to rank higher in the Western Conference. It wasn’t until the last month of the regular season that LA managed to sneak into the play-in berths.
LeBron James and the Lakers qualify for the playoffs
Laker Nation came very close to losing their chance to play directly in the playoffs. LA played against the Minnesota Timberwolves and faced several challenges throughout the game. During the first half, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley led the offense for the Wolves, giving them a solid lead ahead of the Lakers. LeBron James tried to get as many looks as he could to score the ball.
On paper, the Wolves shot far better than the Lakers, even going 16-41 from the three-point arc while shooting 93.3% from the foul line. Defensively, they outplayed the Lakers, recording 11 blocks and 13 steals. But turnovers and personal fouls gave the Lakers a first-class ticket to the playoffs. LA took every opportunity while being fouled and scored the ball. Eventually, catching up with the Wolves and beating them in overtime.
DENNIS SCHROEDER CLUTCH! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eWqZCFoZqX
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) April 12, 2023
LeBron James scored 30 points along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Anthony Davis had 3 blocks, 2 steals and scored 24 points to help beat the Wolves. He also had 15 rebounds, which gave him a double-double. The stars of the night were Dennis Schröder and Rui Hachimura. Dennis shot 75% from three and drained a game-altering dagger from the arc to help the Lakers take the lead. The players scored a combined total of 33 points.