The LA Lakers pulled out a 108-102 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their play-in matchup on Tuesday night. However, the Lakers could have avoided overtime if not for a critical foul from star big man Anthony Davis. The Lakers took the lead on a go-ahead three-pointer from point guard Dennis Schroder with 1.4 seconds remaining in regulation. LA's lead was then quickly erased after Davis fouled Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley on a corner three-pointer with just 0.1 seconds remaining. Luckily for the Lakers, they were still able to secure a victory in overtime and joke about the foul after the game.
In his postgame interview, Lakers star forward LeBron James joked about how Davis ruined Schroder’s big moment:
“It’s unfortunate that AD had a brain fart and messed his game-winner up,” James said.
Davis then quickly jumped in to apologize for the foul:
“I messed his game-winner up, I apologize. I definitely apologize,” Davis said.
The Lakers were led by James with a game-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks on 57.1% shooting. Davis added 24 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks on 52.6% shooting. Meanwhile, Schroder chipped in with a crucial 21 points.
As for the Wolves, they were led by star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks on 66.7% shooting.
Following their win on Tuesday night, the LA Lakers have secured the seventh seed in the Western Conference. This means that they will be taking on the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. This has been a favorable matchup for LA as the Lakers went 2-1 against the Grizzlies this season.
Meanwhile, Minnesota still has another chance to make the playoffs. The Timberwolves will face the winner of Wednesday’s play-in matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and OKC Thunder. Minnesota fared extremely well against both teams this season, going 2-1 against the Pelicans and 3-1 against the Thunder.
The winner of Minnesota versus New Orleans/OKC will secure the eighth seed and a matchup against the first-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round.