NBA legend Magic Johnson was none too pleased after his beloved Los Angeles Lakers fell yet again to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the duo's first-round playoff series, this time in a dramatic 116–113 finish.
With the Wolves now leading the series 3–1, Johnson took to social media to air his postgame grievances, in which he (respectfully) critiqued the Lakers' inability to get enough two-point shots and also issued an indirect criticism of L.A. coach JJ Redick.
"I dont know if it smart to play LeBron [James] and Luka [Doncic] the entire second half after only having one day of rest between Games 3 and 4," Johnson mused on Sunday. "When we needed LeBron to take over in the fourth quarter he couldn’t—he scored 0 points in the fourth."
I dont know if it smart to play LeBron and Luka the entire second half after only having one day of rest between Games 3 and 4. When we needed LeBron to take over in the fourth quarter he couldn’t - he scored 0 points in the fourth.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 27, 2025
All in all, the Lakers legend said he is "just sick to my stomach that the Lakers lost this game after being in control most of the 2nd half."
To Johnson's point, the Lakers overcame their slight first-half deficit at the start of the third and held onto it for most of the fourth. But the Wolves, led by the stellar Anthony Edwards, eventually overtook them with roughly three minutes left. It didn't help that, in addition to James's scoreless fourth quarter, Doncic went 1 for 6 from the floor during that same portion. (Overall, though, James put up 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Doncic had 38 points and one rebound—so it's not like they didn't pull their weight.)
The good news is both Doncic and James will have some extra time to rest before Game 5, seeing as tip off isn't scheduled until Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. Surely Magic will be happy to hear that.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Magic Johnson Calls JJ Redick's Handling of LeBron James, Luka Doncic Into Question.
