Lakers fall flat in Game 1 as Timberwolves steal playoff opener in L.A.
LOS ANGELES (KYMA, KECY) - The playoffs opened with a thud for the Los Angeles Lakers, who were outpaced, out-shot and out-hustled in front of their home crowd in a lopsided 117-95 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In what was supposed to be Luka Doncic's big playoff debut in a Lakers uniform, it was Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels who stole the spotlight. The versatile forward poured in 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting and locked up Doncic on the defensive end, limiting him to just two-of-seven shooting when matched up one-on-one.
Doncic still finished with a game-high 37 points, but most of his buckets came early or in isolation as L.A. struggled to find any flow on offense. LeBron James added 19 points in his 18th career postseason, but the third-seeded Lakers never found their footing.
The Wolves used a dominant second quarter outscoring the Lakers 38-20 to blow the game open, and they never looked back. Minnesota knocked down a franchise playoff-record 21 three-pointers, capitalizing on clean looks and crisp ball movement. They shot a staggering 74% off passes, the highest mark in a playoff game in the past decade.
Anthony Edwards nearly posted a triple-double with 22 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, while Naz Reid chipped in 23 points, including six made threes.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles is still figuring out its chemistry after trading for Doncic late in the regular season. Missed defensive rotations and poor shooting, just seven-of-28 from deep, plagued the Lakers throughout.
The Lakers trail 0-1 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 2 set for Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
