The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the verge of elimination from the 2024–25 NBA Playoffs, trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves 3–1 in their first-round series. However, Lakers star Luka Doncic remains optimistic and believes a comeback is still possible.
Following the Game 4 loss, Doncic emphasized that the series isn’t over yet, speaking via Spectrum SportsNet: “It’s definitely disappointing, but nothing is lost. We haven’t lost nothing yet. It’s first to four wins, and we just gotta still believe.”
Doncic added that he believes the Lakers will have strong motivation to win the next three games and embraced the challenge ahead: “It’s a fun challenge. We should have extra motivation to win these next three games. It’s gonna be very hard, every possession’s gonna matter, and we gotta go 100 percent no matter what.”
It’s important to note that Doncic was not at full strength during the early part of the series. He looked visibly worn down in Game 3 after battling a stomach virus that affected his energy and stamina. Although Doncic recovered enough to play in Game 4, he was still not completely back to peak condition. Despite the setback, there were flashes of vintage Doncic, using his size and physicality to attack the paint for layups and hitting some trademark deep jumpers.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a basket during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Austin Reaves believes in the team
Despite having their backs against the wall, Austin Reaves remains confident that the Lakers still have opportunities to fight for a spot in the next round. Reaves, who logged heavy minutes in NBA playoffs Game 4 and nearly tied the game at the buzzer with a corner three that rimmed out, stressed the team’s resilience on Spectrum SportsNet:
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“Anytime you have an opportunity to go lace them up and play again, you’re not out of it. A lot of these games besides Game 1 could’ve gone our way if we made a couple more plays down the stretch. But we didn’t. Dug ourselves in a hole. The sun will come up tomorrow, and we’ve still got another day to fight.”
Finney-Smith knows the Lakers have a key piece for a comeback
Dorian Finney-Smith also spoke after the Game 4 loss, reaffirming the team’s belief that a comeback is possible — but emphasizing the need to take it one game at a time. He referenced LeBron James’ past comeback success, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Well I seen Bron do it already (laughs). But we still feel like we can win this series; we just gotta win one game at a time. Obviously, we put ourselves in harm’s way, but we gotta figure it out as a team.” Finney-Smith was referring to LeBron leading the Cleveland Cavaliers back from a 3–1 deficit to defeat the 73-win Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals — one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Replicating that feat against the Timberwolves would be historic for the Lakers and would further cement LeBron’s legacy as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.
