Anthony Edwards and LeBron James Duel in Minnesota; Wolves Come Away with 116-104 Win

The playoffs are all about the best, and on Friday night in Minnesota the sensei and the deshi went head to head. 

Anthony Edwards and LeBron James battled at the target center as Edwards received help from Jaden McDaniels allowing the Timberwolves to take a 2-1 series lead with the 12-point win. 

McDaniels was 12-for-22 for 30 points (5 rebounds) in 38 minutes and Edwards went for a near triple-double of 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists (12-for-26) while he made five of his 10 attempts from deep. In 42 minutes, Edwards was his usual self - slicing to the basket, dunks, and of course his improved 3-point shot. Edwards played 42 minutes. 

James, with 38 points (13-for-21, 5-for-9 from downtown) led the Lakers with a game-high in both points and rebounds (10). His transition threes and straight-away fires were on the money, and he even sprinkled in a fast break dunk. The minutes total, 41, was also impressive for a 40-year-old. 

Julius Randle added 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 6-for-13 (41 minutes), and James’ complementary pieces were Austin Reaves (20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 5-for-11 from deep) and Luka Doncic (17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 6-for-16, 2-for-8). Doncic, playing ill, did not start the second half. Despite dealing with non ideal conditions, he played 40 minutes. Reaves played 41 minutes. 

The Wolves had a 25-19 bench advantage, led by Naz Reid’s 11, which included a clutch corner three late. Donte DiVincenzo put up 10 points but only made 4 of 13 shots. 

Both teams shot rather evenly, with the Timberwolves shooting 48.4% and the Lakers’ 47.4%. 3-point shooting was close, too - the Lakers going 17-for-40 and the home Wolves going 13-for-36. Rebounding was even at 38. The difference was turnovers - the Wolves committed eight while the Lakers committed double that amount. 

The Timberwolves’ crowd was rocking all night, and it was refreshing to see James do battle against the younger superstar and not only match him, but be the best player on the floor. 

It just so happened that the Wolves got a little bit more and did a little bit more. Game 4 is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. 

Magic, Bucks Notch First Wins

The Orlando Magic, behind 61 combined points from their star duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, upended the Boston Celtics 95-93 on Friday. 

Wagner scored 32 points with 8 assists and 7 rebounds despite missing 16 shots (11-for-27) and missing 10 triples (3-for-13). Paolo Banchero put up 29 points with 6 rebounds on 10-for-25. Wendell Carter Jr. added 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

Jayson Tatum’s 36 points (9 rebounds, 4 assists) on 10-for-22 and 4-for-10 from deep led the Celtics, while Jaylen Brown (19 points) and Derrick White (16 points) each shot 7-for-14. 

The Celtics shot just 44.6%, a strong effort on the defensive end shown by the Magic who led the NBA in points allowed during the regular season. The Celtics also misfired from deep, shooting an uncharistically low 27 and making nine. They were also outrebounded 42-39. 

The Magic shot only 41%, and were even worse than the Celtics from there at just 25% (8-for-32). They did however win the turnover battle, 13 to the Celtics’ 19. Both Banchero and White played over 40 minutes, Banchero 42 and White 40. 

Game 4 is Sunday at 7 p.m. on TNT. 

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo put up another stupendous performance (37 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists on 14-for-19 from the field) in the Bucks’ much needed 117-101 win. Antetokounmpo also made 9-of-10 from the line and played just 32 minutes. 

Gary Trent Jr. tied the Bucks’ franchise record of nine 3-pointers, going 9-for-12 from deep and 11-for-16 overall in 34 minutes for 37 points. 

The Bucks received 30 points from their bench - 12 from AJ Green and 10 from Bobby Portis. Damian Lillard in his second game back from deep vein thrombosis was 2-for-12 (1-for-8 from deep) for 7 points. The Bucks shot 47.2% as a whole, and Trent Jr.’s 3-point exhibition contributed to 15-of-41 makes for the Bucks. The team enjoyed a 48-40 rebounding advantage while committing one less turnover, 13 to 14. 

The Pacers shot 43.3% from the field and made 13-of-41 triples. Pascal Siakam led with 28 points and 5 rebounds on 12-for-19 (3-of-4 from deep) with Aaron Nesmith making 7-of-13 (4-for-8 from downtown) for 17 points. Tyrese Haliburton played a solid game in 32 minutes, going 5-for-11 from the field (4-of-9 from downtown) for 14 points while dishing 10 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds. Myles Turner was 1-for-9 from the field in 24 minutes, missing all six of his 3-point attempts. 

Game 4 is Sunday at 9:30 p.m. on TNT.