2 weeks Ago
The Minnesota Timberwolves were faced with a number of questions entering their Western Conference first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. How would they guard the dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James? What would they do with Rudy Gobert when the Lakers go small? Could Anthony Edwards handle L.A.
's defensive coverages? The Timberwolves provided an emphatic answer to those questions in a 117-95 victory over the Lakers in Game 1 Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. All the questions now will be facing the team in Los Angeles.
The Wolves didn't just beat the Lakers Saturday night, they made a statement. They showed they have the answers defensively, even if Doncic is going to get his. Gobert proved he won't be a liability.
And Edwards demonstrated that he can make the right decisions, get off double teams and create one opportunity after another for his teammates. Minnesota was dominant for much of the night, starting its run in the second quarter after a lackluster start to the game. Jaden McDaniels, who scored a team-high 25 points, proved he'd be a scoring threat, hitting a turnaround jumper and a 3-pointer to open the second quarter as the Timberwolves' second unit quickly took control.
Their depth advantage was evident as Naz Reid exploded off the bench for 23. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo were solid all night. The Wolves outscored the Lakers 38-20 in the second quarter and were in firm control of the game from there.
The lead continued to balloon in the third quarter, and the Lakers didn't begin to make a run until Edwards exited the game near the end of the frame due to cramping. But Edwards came back out of the locker room for the fourth quarter and did what he does best, knocking down a couple 3s as Minnesota pushed it back out of reach. What stood out most for Edwards wasn't his scoring ability, it was how he put together one of his better decision-making games in recent memory.
He didn't force anything, he didn't turn the ball over and his gravity created plenty of open looks for his teammates. Edwards finished with 22 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, a steal and just a single turnover. Gobert got into early foul trouble and only played 24 minutes, and took two shots.
He wasn't the liability many thought he'd be in this series, even when he switched on to Doncic. A notable highlight was his chase-down block on James. Julius Randle did have seven turnovers, but he also did a little bit of everything else, from guarding James to scoring when he needed to and moving the ball.
Randle finished with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. The only trouble the Wolves found themselves in Saturday night was early in the first quarter, where they appeared to have some jitters. They had four early turnovers and gave up five offensive rebounds that the Lakers turned into 11 second-chance points.
Doncic scored 16 of his game-high 37 points in the opening frame as L.A. took a 28-21 lead.
But the story completely flipped in the second quarter, and it turned into Minnesota dominance in the second half when the Wolves opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run. It's a 1-0 Timberwolves series lead. On to the next one.
Recommended articles.
