LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers on the brink of elimination in the NBA playoffs

"Our goal is to be champions. That's our one and only goal." In February, a few days after joining the Los Angeles Lakers, following a surprise trade from the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic had made his ambitions clear. Alongside LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer , the Slovenian is seeking his first title, which he came close to winning in 2024 with the Dallas Mavericks, his former franchise, in the final against the Boston Celtics.

Two months later, the reality is radically different in California. The Lakers, who qualified for the playoffs after finishing third in the Western Conference during the regular season – they were fifth before Luka Doncic's arrival – are facing elimination in the first round. After being heavily beaten in Game 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles by the Minnesota Timberwolves (95-117), the Los Angeles Angels immediately responded in Game 2 (94-85), before falling again (116-104) at the Target Center in Minneapolis in Game 3 on Saturday, April 26.

On Sunday, the Lakers lost again (116-113). While they held a ten-point lead heading into the fourth quarter (94-84), LeBron James and his teammates crumbled against more energetic and realistic opponents. Forced into fouls, the Lakers conceded several free throws, allowing the home team to get back into the game and then take the lead in the final seconds.

According to the New York Times , the Los Angeles Lakers' defeat had a lot to do with the strategy of their coach, JJ Redick. " The Lakers' tactical adjustment worked... until it didn't." titled the daily. The coach didn't change his starting five throughout the second half. A strategy that seemed to prove him right, given the performances of his two stars, Luka Doncic (38 points, 2 assists) and LeBron James (27 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists), and his limited roster. Over the entire game, only six points were scored by the Lakers' substitute players, compared to 25 for the Timberwolves.

"Once you make that decision and the players are all on board, you have to trust them," the Angelinos coach said after the game. The players themselves took responsibility: "Luka [Doncic] missed a layup that would have given us a seven-point lead, and so did I ," LeBron James said. "We didn't capitalize on our opportunities."

In Los Angeles, on Wednesday (Thursday at 4 a.m. Paris time), a major challenge begins for the Lakers: to turn the series around and win the next three games. Statistics say they have only a 4.5% chance of qualifying for the second round of the playoffs. " It will be very difficult. Every possession [of the ball] will be important. We will give 100% no matter what." said Luka Doncic.

The Timberwolves, led by 23-year-old American guard Anthony Edwards, the franchise's leading scorer this season, are hoping to do better than the Conference Finals reached in 2024. "They are big, strong, athletic, put pressure on the ball and make every basket difficult," analyzed JJ Redick, the Lakers coach, after the third game.