MINNEAPOLIS — In a night that encapsulated the sheer unpredictability of the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers clawed their way through a heart-stopping fourth quarter to snatch a 116-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Wednesday. What began as a wire-to-wire dominance for the Lakers devolved into a nail-biting thriller, only for Austin Reaves to etch his name into Lakers lore with a silky game-winning floater as the buzzer blared. The 26-year-old guard’s heroics—capped by 28 points and a career-high-tying 16 assists—propelled the injury-riddled Lakers to a much-needed win, mobbed by teammates in a scene straight out of a Hollywood script.
The Lakers entered the matchup without their superstar duo of LeBron James and Luka Dončić, both sidelined by nagging injuries that have tested the depth of a roster already stretched thin. James, the 40-year-old icon, has missed the entire young season nursing right sciatica irritation, while Dončić sat out his second straight game following a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion suffered last Sunday. Yet, in their absence, Reaves has emerged as the unflinching leader, shouldering the load with poise that belies his relative youth.
Early on, it seemed the Lakers would cruise to an easy victory. They built a commanding 20-point lead midway through the third quarter, fueled by Reaves’ sharp playmaking and efficient scoring. Julius Randle, the Timberwolves’ burly forward, kept Minnesota in striking distance with his physicality in the paint, but the Lakers’ ball movement and perimeter shooting created daylight. Reaves orchestrated the offense like a seasoned conductor, dishing dimes to open teammates and knocking down mid-range jumpers with surgical precision.
But the fourth quarter unfolded like a classic NBA rollercoaster, a testament to the league’s love for late drama. The Timberwolves, playing without their explosive guard Anthony Edwards (out with a right hamstring strain), mounted a ferocious comeback. Randle’s relentless drives and timely threes ignited a 22-4 run that flipped the script, culminating in his go-ahead bucket with just 10.2 seconds remaining to put Minnesota up 115-114. The Target Center crowd, sensing blood, erupted as the Lakers called timeout, the weight of the moment pressing down on a bench depleted by injuries.
Enter Austin Reaves. Inbounding the ball under siege, Reaves faced a gauntlet: a double-team from Jayden McDaniels, Minnesota’s lockdown defender, and Rudy Gobert, the towering rim protector. As Donte DiVincenzo lurked to draw a charge, Reaves exploited a sliver of space, splitting the trap with a hesitation dribble before rising for a high-arcing floater in the lane. The ball kissed the glass and dropped through the net just as the horn sounded, sending the Lakers’ bench into a frenzy and silencing the home faithful. It was the kind of “unexpected twist” that turns games into legends—the underdog guard, thrust into the spotlight, delivering when the stakes were highest.
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“I don’t remember seeing the ball go in,” Reaves admitted postgame, a shy grin breaking through his exhaustion. “For some reason, I just knew it did. I kind of blacked out a bit, looked down at the bench, and everybody’s running at me. It’s just a good feeling.” He paused, then added with a laugh, “Like I said, everybody get back. Luka, hurry up. Bron, hurry up.”
Reaves’ week has been nothing short of meteoric. Just days earlier, he torched the Sacramento Kings for a career-high 51 points on Sunday, followed by a 41-point clinic against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. Now, with this 28-point masterpiece, he’s averaging 40 points over his last three outings—a scorching stretch that has coach JJ Redick heaping praise on his rising star. “Austin’s taken the mantle, and he’s not just holding it; he’s running with it,” Redick said. “In a league full of giants, he’s proving you don’t need to be the biggest to lead.”
The victory wasn’t without its casualties, however. The Lakers welcomed back backup center Jaxson Hayes after he missed three games with left patellar tendinopathy, providing a much-needed boost in the frontcourt. But guard Marcus Smart was downgraded to out with a right quad contusion, leaving the team with just eight active roster players. “We’re scraping by, but these guys are resilient,” Redick noted. “Austin’s our primary ballhandler now, and the Timberwolves knew it—they threw McDaniels at him all night. But nothing’s stopping him this week.”
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On the injury front, Redick offered cautious optimism. For Dončić, the prognosis is day-to-day: “The swelling on his leg’s gone down a bit, and his finger looks like one-and-a-half now instead of two. He’s progressing, and we’re hopeful he’ll be back in the next couple of games.” James, meanwhile, remains on track for a mid-November return. The Lakers announced his injury on Oct. 9, projecting a three-to-four-week reevaluation. “No change there,” Redick said. “We’re right around that timeline—second or third week of November. He’s got to check all the boxes with his return-to-play protocols, but we’re optimistic.”
In a silver lining for the Lakers’ future, rookie forward Adou Thiero received clearance for live on-court contact work as he rehabs a left knee injury. The next step: five-on-five scrimmages. Thiero, assigned to the South Bay Lakers’ G League squad, will also join Lakers practices over the coming week, inching closer to his NBA debut.
As the Lakers (now 4-3 on the season) head to Memphis for an NBA Cup showdown on Friday, the echoes of Reaves’ buzzer-beater linger. In a season defined by absences and adaptations, this win wasn’t just survival—it was a statement. With James and Dončić looming on the horizon, the Lakers are reminded that even in the storm, heroes can emerge from the shadows. For Reaves, the “iconic game-winner” is more than a highlight; it’s a mantle he’s more than ready to carry.