JJ Redick's no-sub second half against Timberwolves was unprecedented

The NBA started tracking play-by-play stats in 1997. Since that time, no team had ever gone an entire second half in the playoffs without making a single substitution. That was until the Los Angeles Lakers went subless in the second half of Game 4 of their first-round Western Conference series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday in Minneapolis.

Lakers coach JJ Redick made a gamble that didn't pay off against the Wolves, who took a 3-1 series lead with the Game 4 victory. Minnesota's players got big minutes, too, no doubt — Chris Finch played Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle 44 and 42 minutes, respectively, but Redick has been under fire since his substitution-free second half didn't produce a win.

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

"It's not a planned thing to play five guys an entire second half," Redick said postgame. "We asked them at the beginning of the fourth quarter, we told them we have two extra timeouts, if you need a sub, let us know. Those guys gave a lot."

LeBron James played 46 minutes, only sitting for slightly over a minute in the first quarter. Luka Doncic played 45 minutes, sitting for a couple minutes in the second quarter. Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith each played over 40 minutes, while Austin Reaves played 35 minutes. Gabe Vincent, who played 12 minutes, got the sixth-most action on the team.

"Not on that one," Redick responded when asked if he second guessed his decision. "I think once you've kinda made that decision and they all are in, you just gotta trust them."

The Wolves' depth figured to be a strength in the series, but a no-sub half from the Lakers certainly wasn't an expectation. When asked postgame whether he had a sense the Wolves could wear them down on Sunday, Finch said he wasn't sure.

"I mean, our guys were pretty gassed as well," Finch said. "We knew it was a quick turnaround for them from Friday night to tonight, so we wanted to try to take the game as deep as possible. They had some phenomenal performances here. LeBron played all but a minute and a half, and Luka looked pretty healthy again. But we got enough stops in the end, made them miss, a couple turnovers."

The Wolves absorbed the Lakers' best blow, taking a 3-1 series lead into Game 5.