The Los Angeles Lakers were outmatched in their playoff opener Saturday night, falling 117-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.
Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting to lead Minnesota, while Naz Reid added 23 off the bench with six three-pointers as the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Luka Doncic scored 37 points in his Lakers playoff debut, including 16 in the first quarter, but Los Angeles couldn’t keep pace after a second-quarter collapse.
“They were able to get—the start of their run was transition and second chance points,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “They ended up with 25 fast break points—and 23 second chance points.”
The Timberwolves broke the game open with a 38-20 advantage in the second quarter, capitalizing on 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc and holding the Lakers to 39.8 percent overall.
“We lost that stretch from the start of the second through about four or five minutes left in the third—we lost that stretch by 34,” Redick said. “That’s a blowout.”
Minnesota finished with a franchise-record 21 made threes in a playoff game. Anthony Edwards contributed 22 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, while Julius Randle chipped in 13 points and four triples of his own.
Redick acknowledged the challenge of defending Minnesota’s long-range attack. “I have to go back and look at each one, but I know a number of those came in transition and off offensive rebounds.”
LeBron James added 19 points and five rebounds, though he struggled early before finding rhythm in the second half. “Probably need to mix in more off-ball actions for LeBron,” Redick said. “There were a few plays we called or drew up, and they went zone nearly every time we ran an ATO.”
The Timberwolves limited Doncic’s playmaking, holding him to just one assist. “A lot of it was the coverage scheme they had,” Redick explained. “They brought in their one-through-five switching group. Those [playmaking opportunities] just weren’t there.”
Despite being outscored 32-17 in the fourth quarter, Redick maintained confidence in his team’s mental approach. “It’s not that our guys weren’t ready for a playoff-level game. Mentally, we were ready. I thought our spirit was right.”
Los Angeles finished the game with just 32 points in the paint, hindered by missed opportunities and Minnesota’s rim protection. “We were 1-for-7 at the rim,” Redick noted. “Gobert and McDaniels make it tough.”
The Lakers briefly trimmed the deficit to 12 in the fourth, but the Timberwolves responded with timely three-point shooting to seal the win.
“They’re a great opponent, one of the best teams in basketball,” Redick said. “When they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, we didn’t respond immediately.”
Game 2 will remain in Los Angeles and is scheduled for Tuesday night, with the Lakers aiming to even the series before it shifts to Minnesota.
