Lakers' win over Timberwolves was the best of what the play-in tournament has to offer

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Through two games of the six-game play-in tournament, there hasn’t been much good basketball to talk about.

In the first game Tuesday, the Miami Heat forgot to show up against the Atlanta Hawks, who pulled off a mini-upset to set up a first-round series against the Boston Celtics. The second game saw the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves nearly do the same before the Los Angeles Lakers finally realized they were the better team.

However, the Lakers’ win over Minnesota was far from smooth, and they tried their hardest to let the Wolves win it. Head coach Darvin Ham called the game a “dogfight,” but that’s not exactly how I would describe it.

Drunk might be a better word.

Both teams eclipsed 20 turnovers in the game, combining for 45, including several in the final seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime. At least twice, the Lakers threw the ball away on inbound passes with a chance to ice the game or take the lead. The most bone-headed play was Anthony Davis fouling Mike Conley on a game-tying 3-point attempt with less than a second left.

It all made for what I would call a sloppy game, ugly even — a game that went unnecessarily long, especially for those of us on the East Coast. But it was also incredibly entertaining.

No matter how bad the basketball got, the teams were no less desperate to win. We had 38-year-old LeBron James diving on the ground for loose balls. We had Conley drilling three-straight high pressure free throws. The vibes of the game were very much on par with March Madness basketball — which isn’t often great but almost always intense and hard to look away from.

This is what makes the play-in tournament so great for the NBA. It gives the feel of Game 7 playoff basketball before the actual playoffs even begin. It’s an appetizer of what’s hopefully to come.

Beginning Wednesday night with the Bulls and Raptors, then the Thunder and Pelicans, we get four more games of it. It might not be good basketball, but it should be fun.

The winner of Wednesday night’s game between the Bulls and Raptors will play the Heat on Friday with the No. 8 seed and a best-of-7 series against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on the line.

Today, we know the Bucks as the 2021 champions and maybe the best team in the league today. Antetokounmpo is recognized as arguably the best player in the game. As it turns out, these things almost weren’t the case.

Antetokounmpo opened up to the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel about nearly retiring in 2020 over his mental health. Our guy Sykes wrote about how Antetokounmpo, someone who appeared to be on top of the world, reached that point.

“In 2019, Antetokounmpo lost his father, Charles, to a heart attack at just 54 years old. The same man who scratched and clawed his way out of poverty for his family, including Giannis and his brothers. Obviously, he meant a lot to Antetokounmpo and instilled in him the principles by which the All-Star operates today.

Then came 2020, and the world was suddenly thrust into mass isolation and uncertainty at the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic as we tried to navigate a literal global health crisis. On top of that, folks were taking to the streets in protest after seeing Black folks being killed by those who’d sworn to protect them.

That impacted us all. No matter what your financial status was, who you were or what you looked like, there was no shielding yourself from one of the most traumatic years many of us had ever experienced.”

Ultimately, Antetokounmpo got the help he needed to be the person he is today. More than any ring or basketball status, that makes him a winner.

One to Watch

(All odds via BetMGM)

Bulls (+6.5, +180) at Raptors (-225), O/U 212.5, 7 PM ET

My best bets for each play-in game aren’t off to a great start, but I’m sticking by my original picks for Wednesday’s games. That includes taking the Bulls to cover a 5.5-point spread which, as you can see, is now up to 6.5 points. Sharp action is clearly disagreeing with me, but I just don’t think Toronto is that much better than Chicago. And I like how the Bulls defend.

Shootaround

— The hilarious beef between Kyle Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie, explained

— Teams looking for the next OG Anunoby might want to draft Olivier-Maxence Prosper

— LeBron joked that he doesn’t think about the Grizzlies at all after a detailed scouting report

— The Lakers’ win meant wacky NBA playoff history for the California teams