No loss ever feels good in the playoffs. Yet the\u00a0Lakers\u2019\u00a0116-104 Game 3\u00a0defeat to the Wolves on Friday night felt extra excruciating.<\/p>\n
Minnesota expectantly came out roaring\u00a0in front of their raucous home crowd. After jumping out to an early lead and looking poised to break things open early, the Lakers withstood the Wolves\u2019 fast start and gave themselves a chance to steal one on the road.<\/p>\n
After jostling back and forth, the two teams were tied in the final four minutes. With plenty of chances to retake control, the Lakers scored just one point the rest of the way and fumbled a golden opportunity to seize control of the series.<\/p>\n
While the Wolves deserve credit for capitalizing, the Lakers may be haunted by the fact that their fingerprints played a large role in the eventual outcome.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at three takeaways from the contest.<\/p>\n
Although the final result may not look like it, Game 3 was tightly contested. And that\u2019s why the box score is nightmare fuel from the Lakers\u2019 perspective.<\/p>\n
After their stalemate in Game 2, the Wolves again dominated the paint, outscoring the Lakers by a whopping 30 points in Game 3. For the series, Minnesota now has a 42-point edge.<\/p>\n
This was mostly expected given their size advantage and has only been further compounded by Jaxson Hayes\u2019 inability to stay on the floor.<\/p>\n
The Wolves\u2019 ability to routinely get two feet in the paint has earned them the whistle and opened up their drive-and-kick game. For the Lakers, their reliance on an attack that is more outside-in rather than inside-out has put extra importance on their perimeter shooting.<\/p>\n
While they shot well from three overall on Friday night, they faltered late, missing all five of their chances in the final minutes. Whether bad luck or the result of their centerless minutes taxing their energy and legs, their poor clutch performance sealed their fate.<\/p>\n
Missed shots are to be expected and ultimately a livable result for a coach. However, things like turnovers and missed free throws will add a few hundred wrinkles as JJ Redick can attest.<\/p>\n