Lakers were able to stave off the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime

After winning, the Lakers avoided the play-in round and were guaranteed to play the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round. And Dillon Brooks has started speaking already. LeBron James and Anthony Davis didn't have their finest games, but they excelled enough to pull off a comeback victory. But Dennis Schröder was the one who received the game ball. Schröder was amazing in the final two quarters after he twisted his ankle in the first half. The team's defensive comeback in the fourth quarter was greatly aided by his tenacious point-of-attack defense, and his 3-pointer in the last seconds nearly sealed the victory before it didn't.

The Timberwolves accepted their position as underdogs despite missing Rudy Gobert due to his violent incident with teammate Kyle Anderson and Jaden McDaniels due to his self-inflicted injury.