LeBron James‘ huge performance wasn’t enough for the Los Angeles Lakers to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3. On Friday, the Lakers suffered a 116-104 loss at Target Center, and the best-of-seven series fell to 2-1. James poured in everything he had with 38 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. The four-time champion gave his best on the defensive end with two steals and two blocks.
One of the biggest stories for L.A. was Luka Doncic. According to Dan Woike of the L.A. Times, Doncic dealt with stomach issues but wasn’t ruled out for the game. The five-time All-NBA logged almost 40 minutes for the Lakers and finished with 17 points on an inefficient 37.5 percent shooting from the field. While he struggled to score the basketball, he contributed in other areas.
I’m told Luka Doncic hasn’t been feeling well since yesterday. Has been dealing with stomach issues. He’s struggled so far
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 26, 2025
The Slovenian star had seven rebounds and eight assists. However, his shooting woes prevented him from making sizeable contributions for the visiting team.
Following the loss, James was asked how Doncic’s condition affected the team’s performance.
“Obviously, with his illness, it impacts our team,” James said. “We understand what he brings to our team and what he’s done since his acquisition. It definitely took a big blow for our team.”
LeBron (38 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) discusses Luka not being 100%, the turnovers, the difficulty of playing against Anthony Edwards, how to get Jaxson Hayes more involved, and the contributions from Vando and Jordan Goodwin. pic.twitter.com/rNRtd7LVne
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 26, 2025
But James remains focused on leading the Lakers to a road victory. The all-time top scorer in the league responded as follows when asked what they must do to win Game 4:
“We gotta control the controllables. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a good chance to win.”
During Games 1 and 2, James didn’t reach the 30-point mark in scoring. However, with Doncic’s illness, King James took charge and tried to will his team to victory. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists after the first two games.
LeBron James says there’s no room for error for the Los Angeles Lakers
Down 2-1 against the Wolves, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are focused on winning in Game 4. One of the reasons the Lakers suffered the loss was the number of times they turned the ball over. They had 16 turnovers in Game 3. Minnesota, on the other hand, had eight.
During his postgame presser, James expressed how there should be no room for error for the Lakers.
“I mean, first of all, in the postseason, there is no room for error,” James noted. “In the regular season, you’re able to make up for certain things throughout the course of the year where you can have a little bit of room for error, you know?”
James only had one turnover. His co-star, Doncic, had five in the loss. In Game 4, the Los Angeles Lakers are focused on not committing the same mistakes.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
