Timberwolves push Lakers around with defense, physicality, take Game 1 by 22

LOS ANGELES — When the Lakers have looked like a contender during the second half of the season, it was because they set the tone in games with their physicality and defense.

Saturday night, the Minnesota flipped that script.

Because of their defense and physical play, the Timberwolves are up 1-0 in this first-round series after a convincing 117-95 road win. They left the Lakers a lot of hard questions to answer before Game 2.

“We were mentally ready… I’m not sure that physically we were ready, if that makes sense,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said of his team getting pushed around in Game 1. “And really, when they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, like we just didn’t respond immediately to that.”

Minnesota’s defense made the Lakers work for everything, there were no easy drives into the paint, it felt like every shot was contested. Luka Doncic fought through that for 16 first-quarter points, but LeBron James and Austin Reaves opened the game 1-of-9 from the floor. It was during LeBron and Reaves’ shift with Doncic on the bench to start the second quarter that the Timberwolves took control of the game.

“It was really just our defense,” Julius Randle said. “Obviously, Luka, he got off to the hot start, hit a couple 3s, but once we were able to slow them down and really defend, we blew the game open, was able to be in transition a little bit.”

Los Angeles’ “small” lineup was their best the second half of the season and Redick leaned into it in Game 1 (starting center Jaxson Hayes played just eight minutes). However, those smaller lineups still featured 6'8" LeBron and Rui Hachimura, plus 6'7" Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith. That was enough most nights. Not against Minnesota, one team that can match the Lakers’ size and even go bigger — they played a lot of 7'1" Rudy Gobert, and the 6'9" trio of Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle together.

The Lakers’ defense was loaded up to stop Anthony Edwards and Randle, but those two moved the ball quickly, and the Timberwolves trusted their other players to make plays. The result was that guys were getting into the paint at will, and when the defense collapsed, they found open shooters for 3-pointers.

Jaden McDaniels led the Timberwolves with 25 points, while Naz Reid had 23 off the bench, including six 3-pointers.

“He’s 6'11" and has everything that a person 6'2" has in their game…" Edwards said of McDaniels. “We all trust him, one through 15, the coaches and the whole organization.”

While Ant moved the ball and let the game come to him in the first half, in the second he attacked — and hunted Doncic.

The Timberwolves led by 23 when Edwards went down after a drive, was slow to get up, then subbed himself out and went straight to the locker room with what he said postgame was a cramp. By the end of the third quarter, the Timberwolves’ lead was down to 16. By the time Edwards returned, that lead was down to 12.

Edwards’ return settled things down for Minnesota, and they pulled away for the win. As a team, the Timberwolves set a franchise playoff record with 21 3-pointers.

Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 37 points.

Tuesday night, expect a desperate Lakers team that knows they can’t go down 0-2 at home. The problem is that the Timberwolves present a big challenge. Literally.