Lakers

 Lakers outlast Timberwolves in OT to claim 7-seed in West

LOS ANGELES -- Nearly the entirety about this season has been a grueling project for the Los Angeles Lakers, so nobody in a gold jersey clearly regarded amazed while Anthony Davis devoted a baffling foul that allowed Minnesota's Mike Conley to snatch a playoff berth from their hands with 0.1 seconds on the regulation clock.

The Lakers clearly absorbed the contemporary frame blow to their championship hopes and played on.

Five additional time mins later, they eventually claimed a postseason berth that seemed all however unattainable just more than one months in the past.

LeBron James had 30 factors and 10 rebounds, and the Lakers snagged the seventh spot within the Western Conference playoffs with a 108-102 victory over the fast-surpassed Timberwolves in the NBA's play-in event Tuesday night time.

Conley hit three grasp unfastened throws to tie it after Davis foolishly fouled him on a 3-point try, however the Lakers coolly saved rolling in the direction of their 10th win in 12 video games average. Their praise is a date with the second one-seeded Memphis Grizzlies within the first spherical beginning Sunday

"It took the whole lot out of us to get to in which we are, and it took extra out folks tonight," Davis stated. "But we have were given a couple of days before we go to Memphis to start preparing for them. It's been a struggle. It's been an up-and-down season for us, but now is the time to show who we're, and we showed it this night."

Dennis Schroder scored 21 factors, drilling a tiebreaking three-pointer on a bypass from James with 1.4 seconds left in regulation before icing the win with two free throws with eight.Four seconds remaining within the more session for the Lakers, who started the season 2-10 and sat six games beneath .500 on the exchange closing date.

"Once you get to the quit of factors, to have everyone healthful, to be playing inside the kind of rhythm we're playing in, to shield at the level that we're protecting at, going into the most critical time of the yr, you cannot ask for a higher scenario," Lakers train Darvin Ham stated.

The Wolves forced time beyond regulation whilst Conley hit his unfastened throws after Davis stepped on his foot after he had already released a 3-factor strive. Davis and James said they had a mixture-up about who turned into purported to guard the shooter inside the corner.

"The play became between me and AD, and we mentioned it on the bench, and then we moved ahead," James said. "We've nonetheless were given five more mins to play. That's how we started out additional time. We turned into capable of recalibrate. Get our game lower back."

Instead of getting down, the Lakers went back to paintings.

"That turned into mostly on me," stated Davis, who had 24 factors and 15 rebounds. "He faded out of bounds where I turned into going. But it goes lower back to subsequent-play mentality, and we got it achieved in additional time."

Los Angeles eventually gained it with protection, keeping the Wolves to seven points in the final 11 mins from midway through the fourth sector at the same time as rallying from a fifteen-factor deficit.

Conley scored 23 points for Minnesota, which gave an stimulated effort for the primary three quarters at the same time as playing with out starters Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. Gobert changed into suspended for punching teammate Kyle Anderson throughout Minnesota's everyday-season finale in opposition to New Orleans, at the same time as McDaniels is out indefinitely with a damaged hand after punching a wall in frustration Sunday.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points for the Wolves, who will host New Orleans or Oklahoma City on Friday for the 8th spot and a primary-spherical date with pinnacle-seeded Denver starting Sunday.

The Pelicans host the Thunder on Wednesday night time, and Minnesota ought to then beat the winner to attain the playoffs for simplest the 1/3 time in 19 seasons.

"We expected to win this recreation," Conley said. "It's disappointing to lose. We had a lead and permit it slip. This need to be a different postgame speech. ... We've simply were given to be mentally and bodily more engaged at the end, and we have were given more than one days to work on it."

After leading for maximum of the night time, Minnesota went scoreless for six complete minutes inside the fourth quarter. Los Angeles started its comeback after Towns needed to sit down with his fifth foul, and it took the lead for good on a three-pointer on the hole possession of OT through Rui Hachimura, who had 12 factors.

The Wolves neglected eleven consecutive pictures before Anthony Edwards' dunk with 2:36 left in beyond regular time. Edwards scored simply nine points -- greater than 15 below his average -- and left the court docket in short within the second half to get tape on his left shoulder after taking an early fall.

Schroder, coming back from a two-recreation harm absence, stepped up fantastically for D'Angelo Russell, who had a nightmare sport for Los Angeles against the group that traded him in February. Russell had eight assists, however scored  factors on 1-of-nine shooting before getting benched down the stretch.