The Los Angeles Lakers ended up wasting a vintage LeBron James performance on Friday night. The 21-time All-Star dropped a game-high 38 points on 13-of-21 from the floor, along with 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks and just one turnover in 41 minutes of play, while also knocking down five triples on the evening.
In the end, however, James’ strong play meant nothing as the Minnesota Timberwolves scored a crucial 116-104 victory in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in this first-round NBA playoffs series.
Anthony Edwards went off on Friday as well, finishing with 29 points on 12-of-26 shooting, eight rebounds, eight dimes, two steals, a block and five treys.
When asked to share his thoughts on Edwards’ performance in Game 3, James got brutally honest with his response.
“Well, I mean, obviously, you’re only as great as your teammates allow you to be, as well,” James said. “Obviously, you guys know how much praise I have for Ant and his development over the years.
“We had a hell of a summer (with Team USA at the Olympics), and I love everything about Ant. But in the course of a playoff series and things of that nature, when you have your guy step up for you, it allows you to be able to crack the scenes of defenses throughout the course of the game.
James made his opinion of Edwards extremely clear as he expressed how much love and admiration he has for the young Minnesota superstar. However, James also said that it was Jaden McDaniels who deserves the game ball.
“He had 30 (points), and he was aggressive from the start to the finish,” James said of McDaniels. “I can’t remember the last time he took over 20 shots. So that just lets you know what his aggressive, what his mindset was.
“I mean, Ant was just Ant.”
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James isn’t exactly undermining Edwards’ performance here, but the Lakers superstar wanted to give credit to where it was due.
Either way, the Lakers will need to play better in Game 4 on Sunday if they want to keep their championship aspirations alive.
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