The Lakers were eliminated! Losing to the Timberwolves 96-103, who is the culprit behind the 1-4 elimination?

In yesterday's NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 4-1. The result of this game was a disappointing performance for the Lakers, especially when they failed to seize the opportunity at a critical moment. In the first and second quarters of the game, the Lakers faced multiple problems and performed poorly, especially in terms of three-point shooting percentage. Although the Lakers have multiple great players, they failed to find the right rhythm on the offensive end, and the low three-point shooting rate prevented them from maintaining enough pressure during the offensive and defensive transition. The Lakers had many difficulties in the early stages of the game, with low three-point shooting percentage, which led to their offensive efficiency drop. At the same time, the Timberwolves gradually widened the score gap through precise offense and tough defense. The backwardness of inside rebounds also puts the Lakers in a passive state on the offensive end. The Lakers' inside players failed to compete effectively for rebounds, giving the Timberwolves more opportunities for a second attack, which also exacerbated the Lakers' dilemma. At the end of the first half, the Lakers were 10 points behind and faced great pressure. In the third quarter, the Lakers ushered in a key turning point. The performance of James and Doncic has significantly improved the morale of the Lakers, and they have reached a climax through personal breakthroughs and tacit cooperation. James showed strong influence on both offense and defense, while Doncic helped the team with his excellent passing and scoring skills. Under their leadership, the Lakers quickly narrowed the score gap to 1 point, rekindling hope for a reversal. The Lakers showed more offensive fluency in this quarter and improved defensively, preventing the Timberwolves from further expanding their lead.

However, the Lakers failed to seize the opportunity in the crucial fourth quarter and eventually lost by a big score. Despite some good performances in the first few rounds, as the game deepened, the Lakers failed to continue to put pressure on the defensive end and failed to find the right rhythm on the offensive end. Especially in terms of rebounding competition, the Lakers have always been at a disadvantage and have failed to effectively limit the Timberwolves' offensive opportunities. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Lakers' form could no longer recover and eventually failed to reverse.

James contributed 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the game. Although his performance on the offensive end is quite stable, the team's overall condition is not good and he has failed to lead the Lakers to a reversal. James is not only the team's core scoring point, but also plays a role on the defensive end. However, his efforts failed to translate into substantial advantages in the fourth quarter and failed to bring victory to the Lakers. Doncic contributed 28 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. His many wonderful performances in the game made the Lakers see hope for a while. Doncic's all-round performance was an important force in the Lakers' counterattack, but ultimately failed to reverse the overall situation.

Hachimura performed well, scoring 23 points and 4 rebounds, and shooting from three-pointers as high as 62.5%. He showed extremely high efficiency in the game, especially in the shooting from the outside, providing important scoring support for the Lakers. However, although Hachimura Shira's performance is worthy of recognition, his performance alone still cannot make up for the Lakers' overall performance. Reeves and Finney performed mediocrely, with the two players not able to find breakthrough points on the offensive end, and the defensive end failed to effectively limit the opponent's offense. The substitute lineup contributed only 4 points, reflecting the Lakers' shortcomings in substitute depth. This is also one of the key reasons why the Lakers failed to make a comeback in the end. The problem of the Lakers' substitute lineup is undoubtedly revealed in the game. At the critical moment of the season, substitutes failed to provide enough support, which caused the Lakers to feel tired during long games, which in turn affected the overall performance of the team. Although the starters such as James and Doncic performed well, the Lakers' overall strength was obviously not as good as their opponents, which eventually led to this big loss.