The Los Angeles Lakers lost 116-104 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Target Center, falling behind 2-1 in the first-round series.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick pointed directly to the Lakers’ turnover issues, saying, “We’re minus 16 in scoring opportunities. Really hard to win a basketball game in that scenario, particularly against a team that can also get hot from three.”
Los Angeles committed 19 turnovers, which Minnesota turned into 28 points, a swing that proved decisive as the Timberwolves closed the game on a 13-1 run.
Redick acknowledged the Timberwolves’ defensive intensity but also pointed out his team’s unforced errors: “They’re big, they’re long, they’re athletic, they pressure the basketball, they make everything tough. We also had some unforced turnovers: overdribbling, trying to draw fouls, dribbling into traffic.”
LeBron James scored 38 points and Austin Reaves chipped in 20, but Luka Doncic, battling a stomach illness, managed just 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting with five turnovers.
Discussing Doncic’s condition, Redick said, “He hasn’t been feeling well for the last 24 hours. His stomach was bothering him. He was vomiting all afternoon.”
The Lakers kept pace until late, tying the game at 103 with under five minutes remaining, but Redick credited Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels for Minnesota’s late surge.
“Anthony Edwards made a number of really good plays,” Redick said. “We ended up having to bring a low man, so we had basically three guys on him. Naz Reid made the three from the left wing. Then [Edwards] makes a tough shot.”
McDaniels finished with a career-high 30 points while shutting down Doncic defensively, delivering one of the best performances of the night.
Redick also emphasized the Lakers’ defensive shortcomings: “We couldn’t contain the ball tonight. Our closeouts in the first quarter were god-awful. He [Edwards] just got into the teeth of our defense too much.”
With no true rim protector on the roster, Redick highlighted the need for better perimeter defense, adding, “When we’ve been at our best, we’ve been able to be physical on the ball and not allow blowbys. We have to have a cover mentality, multiple effort.”
Despite the loss, Redick saw signs of improvement in James’ health following a recent ankle injury, noting, “He’s moving better. He seems like he’s getting healthier by the day.”
The Lakers will look to even the series on Sunday in Minneapolis, needing to clean up their mistakes and slow down Minnesota’s attack to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole.
