After the Minnesota Timberwolves surprised the Los Angeles Lakers in Recreation 1 of their first-round playoff sequence, main by as a lot as 27 factors on Los Angeles’ dwelling court docket, Anthony Edwards was requested if he had a message for the entire nationwide media that picked the Lakers to win.
“No message, man,” Edwards stated, “They nonetheless acquired the Lakers. The Lakers are purported to win. That is simply the way it’s purported to go. We’re not purported to be right here. So, we’re simply going to compete.”
Edwards performed it cool, however the Timberwolves delivered an emphatic message of their 117-95 win on Saturday: Do not sleep on us.
Sure, the Lakers are the third seed and have two of the most important superstars within the league in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. However the Timberwolves made it to the Western Convention Finals final season, and, regardless that they’ve had some bumps this season, they’re deep, bodily and hungry.
For the Lakers, issues acquired out of hand shortly. They had been in management within the first quarter, with Doncic scoring 16 factors to present the Lakers a 28-21 lead, regardless of James and Austin Reaves going a mixed 0-for-5 over that interval. It appeared as if LA was absolutely going to clobber the Timberwolves as quickly because the floodgates opened for its different two superstars.
The one drawback was James and Reaves remained chilly, leaving Doncic on an island towards a Timberwolves crew that was about to catch hearth. Within the second quarter, the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers, 38-20. The barrage continued within the third quarter, with the Timberwolves storming out of halftime with an 11-0 run.
The Lakers did not simply lose. They had been humiliated. At instances, it appeared as if they weren’t even attempting, with them gesticulating their frustration as an alternative of operating again on protection.
The query now could be: Are the Lakers in hassle?
They’re clearly not panicking: “We let go of the rope,” stated Doncic, who had 37 factors and eight rebounds. “I believe that they only bodily beat us from the get-go,” stated Reaves, who had 16 factors on 5-for-13 taking pictures. “We gotta do a greater job of controlling the controllables,” stated James, who had 19 factors, although it took him 18 photographs to get them.
The followers at Crypto.com Enviornment, who opened the night time wildly cheering in celebration of the Lakers having dwelling court docket benefit within the playoffs for the primary time since 2020, had been surprised into near-silence within the second quarter.
The Timberwolves overwhelmed the Lakers – on protection, with swarming our bodies, and on offense, with a 3-point barrage, making a franchise playoff-record 21 3-pointers on 42 makes an attempt from past the arc (50 %). Jaden McDaniels scored 25 factors. Naz Reid added 23 factors with six 3-pointers. And Edwards had 22 factors, 9 assists and eight rebounds.
It was a whole crew effort for the Timberwolves, who saved issues in perspective regardless of their dominant efficiency.
“It means Recreation 1,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch stated. “We all know it should be a protracted sequence. We’re not underneath any assumption that it should be the sort of recreation in Recreation 2. It will be a totally totally different recreation. We acquired so much left. Plenty of meat on the bone on the market. Plenty of issues. I do know we are able to do higher.”
Each groups had a few week off after clinching their respective seeds.
However with the best way issues performed out Saturday, it appeared as if the Lakers miscalculated that their latest success would carry into the postseason, whereas the Timberwolves ready for warfare.
Heck, the Timberwolves had been even locked in on their airplane journey to Los Angeles.
“The 4 hours that we was on our means right here, we talked, we watched video games when [the Lakers] performed towards OKC, after they performed towards Dallas,” Edwards stated.
All of it labored out for the Timberwolves, who made it clear they cannot be missed.
As for the Lakers, they’re hoping Recreation 1 was simply an anomaly, versus the start of the tip.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA author for FOX Sports activities. She beforehand lined the league for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Occasions, the Bay Space Information Group and the San Antonio Specific-Information. Comply with her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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