2 weeks Ago By J. Muscle, Total Apex Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves faced each other Saturday for Game 1 in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Timberwolves would have to come into the Crypto.com Arena and get a win.
The Lakers finished the season number one in the Pacific division and worked their way up to the third seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers and T’wolves went 2-2 in the regular season, and the first three games played were before the Doncic-Davis trade. The Timberwolves have only seen Doncic in a Laker uniform one time before the end of the season.
Last year in the NBA Playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves were knocked out by the Dallas Mavericks by you know who. The Timberwolves finished third in the Northwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference this season. Anthony Edwards, shooting guard of the Timberwolves, finished the season shooting 44% from the field, averaging 27 points a game.
Luka Doncic last season during the playoffs averaged over 30+ points. Would Doncic continue that streak and get the Lakers a win? Fierce Bite First Half The Minnesota Timberwolves came out in the first half with their teeth showing and did more than bite. The Los Angeles Lakers jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the first quarter with Doncic starting to warm up, cashing in two shots from the three-point line.
Edwards would also rain shots in the first quarter, going 4-of-7 from the field. After the first quarter, the Lakers led 28-21 over Minnesota, and Doncic finished the quarter with 13 points. LeBron James would be scoreless after one.
Would it continue? At the start of the second quarter, two Minnesota Timberwolves players caught fire and became a problem for the Lakers. Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid would push the T’wolves ahead of the Lakers by five in the first four minutes of the second quarter. LA got ice cold on offense, and Minnesota jumped out to a 10-point lead.
McDaniels and Reid accounted for 18 of the Timberwolves’ 38 points in the second quarter. The Timberwolves led 59-48 at halftime, with Reid as their high scorer with 17. Doncic had 19 points and James had 10.
Timberwolves Make Game 1 Statement At the start of the third quarter, the Lakers couldn’t stop the Timberwolves. The T’wolves had an 11-0 run, pushing the score to 70-48. Julius Randle , Edwards, and McDaniels combined for 21 of Minnesota’s 35 points in the third quarter.
The Lakers tried to fight back during the third, but could not break the momentum of the Timberwolves. James would end the quarter with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and just 1 assist. Doncic would have 31 points at the start of the fourth quarter.
McDaniels would end the quarter with 21 points. After three quarters, the Minnesota Timberwolves were shooting 52% from the field and 54% from the three-point line. The Lakers would never gain any ground in the fourth quarter, and the Timberwolves came to the Lakers’ home court and stole game one of the series 117-95.
Edwards finished with 22 points, shooting 8-of-22 from the field. The X-factor in the game would be McDaniels, who shot 11-of-13 and a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point land. Doncic finished the game with 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist.
James ended Game 1 with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Final Thoughts This is just Game 1 a seven-game series. If you’re a Laker fan, I wouldn’t panic.
Like Shannon Sharpe has been saying, “Lakers in five.” It could still hold. The Timberwolves shot well in Game 1, whereas the Lakers suffered from no ball movement.
Minnesota was more aggressive and wanted this game more than the Lakers. Expect Head Coach J.J.
Reddick to devise a plan to slow down Minnesota and get the Lakers back on track. I wouldn’t expect James or Austin Reaves to have two off games. The next game in the series will be on Tuesday.
Can the Lakers even the series? This article first appeared on Total Apex Sports and was syndicated with permission..
