Lakers Face Near Impossible Odds to Overcome 3-1 Deficit

The Los Angeles Lakers are on the wrong side of history as they are on the brink of elimination against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With Minnesota needing just one game to move on and the Lakers needing three in a row, Game 5 will prove to be the biggest test for L.A. in the 2024-25 campaign.

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The test gets increasingly more difficult given Sporting Tribune founder Arash Markazi's recent findings.

Markazi pointed out that the last time the Lakers won three straight was in mid-March. These were all home games, however.

The last time the Lakers won three away contests in a row was the end of February, after the All-Star break. When it comes to three consecutive wins against Minnesota, the last time L.A. secured that mark was during the 2020-21 season.

The Lakers have not won 3 straight games since beating the Suns, Spurs and Nuggets at home March 16-19.

They have not won 3 straight including road games since beating the Blazers, Nuggets and Mavs February 20-25.

They have not won 3 straight against the Wolves since 2020-2021.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 28, 2025

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Things have looked better in terms of L.A.'s playoff outlook, but there is perhaps nobody better to be leading a team down 3-1 in the playoffs than LeBron Raymone James.

James made history during the 2016 NBA Finals as his Cleveland Cavaliers were down 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors. Not only had teams in the same predicament went 0-32 in the championship given that deficit, but the Cavaliers were up against the team with the greatest regular season record in NBA History as the Warriors finished 73-9.

LeBron responded with back-to-back 41-point performances, and a 27-point, 11-rebound, and 11-assist triple-double in Game 7 to make history and win Cleveland's first title in one of the most memorable ways possible.

As for his team's current first round deficit, only 13 teams have ever come back in the playoffs down 3-1. One of those, and the only one in the Finals, was through James' brilliance.

The Lakers will take on Minnesota at home for Game 5 on Wednesday, April 30, at 7 p.m. PST. The first step to becoming the 14th team to win three in a row on the brink of elimination in the playoffs starts at tip-off.

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