The Wolves showed why they ranked among the league’s best shooting teams with their Game 1 marksmanship.
LOS ANGELES — The addition of Luka Doncic to pair with LeBron James, resulting in a surprising third-place finish in the Western Conference for the Lakers, was designed to produce a smashing postseason debut, and it didn’t disappoint.
Sure enough, the Timberwolves did the smashing Saturday and sent disappointment throughout Crypto Arena with a 117-95 victory.
Was this unexpected? Perhaps so, if only because the star power and home-court advantage belonged to the Lakers. But in an instant, the latter advantage disappeared without much suspense in Game 1.
The Wolves snatched the lead in the second quarter and squeezed hard. They were up 11 points at halftime, doubled that lead two minutes into the third quarter, and ultimately built it to 27.
They were the better team and the more physical team, and if anything, the cold slap to the face should awaken the Lakers to the possibility that this will be a challenging series. The Wolves, after all, bring a determined Anthony Edwards — who showed just how badly he wants this — and experience after reaching last season’s Western Conference Finals.
So this is officially interesting, then.
“We know it’s going to be a long series,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said.
Here are Five Takeaways from Minnesota’s victory to launch this first-round series:
1. Edwards puts scare into Lakers, then Wolves
Whenever a player needs 22 shots to score 22 points, that normally doesn’t scream efficiency. But Edwards delivered much more than points, which is why his Game 1 impact was greater than what the scoring showed.
That’s because he did more than get buckets, adding nine assists and eight rebounds. “The best version of Ant,” Finch said, “is when he’s flirting with a triple double.”
He also flirted with injury when he grabbed his left leg with three minutes left in the third quarter and went straight to the locker room.
No problem — just a cramp. He returned in the fourth quarter, just as the Lakers showed a faint heartbeat, and helped finish the job.
“He was vocal, directing the team, showed great leadership,” Finch said. “And they listened.”
2. Lakers ambushed, never recover
After assuming a seven-point first quarter lead, the middle quarters were brutal for the Lakers, who were outscored 53-27 at one point. Minnesota went on a surge and never looked back.
“They blitzed us in that second quarter,” James said.
Yes, it was fast and it was furious and it left the Lakers scrambling, searching in vain for answers.
“It was our defense,” Wolves forward Julius Randle said. “We blew the game open with our transition off stops.”
Which raises an issue for the Lakers — can they compete against a versatile defensive team that doesn’t get caught in very many mismatches?
The Wolves have the bodies to place in the path of LeBron, Luka and Austin Reaves, the Lakers’ three creators. James went scoreless in the first quarter and finished with a rather tame 19 points, while Reaves missed 8 of 13 shots.
Meanwhile …
3. Luka has hot start, little help
In his Laker playoff debut, Luka appeared determined to make it memorable. He had 20 points by halftime, then banked a half-court shot to end the third quarter and — temporarily — bring life back to the building.
But no other Laker scored 20 points. The biggest issue: L.A.’s bench was outscored 43-13 by Minnesota’s.
“I believe we have eight starter-caliber players,” said Finch.
The main concern about the Lakers dealt with their size issues — they have no high-quality big man — and the possibility of their role players failing to produce. And both were problematic Saturday. The Wolves had 12 more points in the paint and outrebounded L.A. by six.
Luka finished with 37 points and eight rebounds. He had only one assist, however, a shockingly low number for a player who distributes, but whose teammates didn’t carry their end of the deal for much of the night when he did pass the ball.
4. Wolves might be better with Naz Reid over Rudy Gobert
The Wolves were at their most impressive, and dominant, when Gobert was on the bench and Reid was swishing 3-pointers.
This doesn’t mean Minnesota will do something as drastic as replace Gobert in the starting lineup at center with Reid, the reigning Kia Sixth Man Award winner. But when the Wolves need buckets, it’s an easy call who should be on the floor. And if Gobert continues to get caught in switches that favor Doncic offensively, Reid should, and probably will, play more minutes.
Reid shot 6-for-9 from deep, scoring 23 points in 30 minutes. Plus, with Gobert hampered by foul problems — he was targeted by Luka on the game’s very first play and committed a foul — the Wolves don’t need to worry about those mismatches when Gobert’s not in the game.
Reid also represented a bench that was too much for the Lakers to handle.
“We got a good group of guys,” Edwards said. “It took us a minute to get going this season but now we’re rolling.”
5. Jaden McDaniels is a two-way problem
Luka worked harder against McDaniels than anyone else, not that this was unexpected. McDaniels is a ballhawk who usually makes opposing players uncomfortable. He has the wingspan and movement to check players on the perimeter and the height that allows him to stand tall in the paint.
His biggest plus, though, was offensively. That part of his game is still under construction — he averaged just 12 points and shot just 33% from deep this season — but occasionally will break 20 points. Like in Game 1.
Not only did he score 25 points, but whenever the Lakers left him open, he made them regret the strategy. McDaniels made all of three of his 3-pointers, taken from the corner, and shot 11-for-13 overall. He also had a game-high nine rebounds.
“I’ve seen him grow from Year One,” Reid said.
Said McDaniels: “It shows the versatility I have, the motivation I have, to guard the best player and to have an impact on the offensive end as well.”
When McDaniels can help a rather average offensive team generate points, then the defensive-minded Wolves are tough to beat. In Game 1, they couldn’t be beat.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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