Behind huge second and third quarters, the Wolves walked into Los Angeles and handed the Lakers a beatdown in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs, winning 117-95.
After trailing by as many as 27 points, the purple and gold rallied in the third and fourth quarters but never truly threatened the visitors, failing to even close the gap to single digits.
Luka Dončić led all scorers with 37 points on 12-22 shooting. LeBron James had a slow start and ended with 19 points, five rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Austin Reaves scored 16 points after his own very slow start.
No other Laker reached double figures and only Rui Hachimura — nine points on 3-9 shooting — hit more than one field goal among rotation players.
It was the Luka show to start as he scored six straight points to give the Lakers the edge early. Rui joined in on the scoring with six points off two 3-pointers. The energy was high and both teams played with a strong playoff intensity.
The Timberwolves were up to four turnovers after messy play. At the first timeout, LA was up eight.
Out of the break, both teams missed their first few shots. Luka and Anthony Edwards started to trade baskets, which in turn led to the pace of the game picking up again. Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith drained 3-pointers of their own. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up seven.
Doncic has seen 5 different Wolves already defensively, either initially or by calling up a big on a switch, and is up to 16 points on 5 of 10 FG’s with 3 made triples and 3 FT’s.
Lakers lead 28-21.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 20, 2025
The second quarter began with Jaden McDaniels scoring five straight. Minnesota jumped ahead by three as they were cooking offensively. The only Laker to score was Austin with a layup.
Los Angeles had to call a timeout to restore some order. Out of the break, McDaniels scored again to add to the 14-2 scoring run by the Timberwolves. LeBron finally saw the ball go through the hoop on a three-point play to halt the break.
Nothing went right for LA as they couldn’t make their shots and struggled to defend. Naz Reid came up big for the Wolves with six points. Rui drilled a much-needed 3-pointer to stop some of the bleeding. A positive for LA was Rudy Gobert grabbing his third foul.
Los Angeles tried to cut into the deficit with LeBron finally making more shots, but all momentum was still with the Wolves, who were up to 50% shooting from the field. Donte DiVincenzo scored on a 3-pointer right as the half ended, putting the Timberwolves up by 11 at halftime.
Halftime: Wolves 59, Lakers 48
MIN outscored LA 38-20 in the second. It was a disastrous quarter for LA on both sides of the ball. Wolves are 11-for-22 on 3s. LA has been over-helping and rotating and a step late on too many possessions. Luka has 20. LeBron has 10.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 20, 2025
Minnesota continued its offensive onslaught, scoring 11 straight points to open up the second half to force another timeout. LeBron drained the most needed 3-pointer ever after the break. Austin finally scored on a 3-pointer.
However, the Timberwolves were shooting 57% from behind the arc as the Lakers had no defensive answer. The Wolves stopped LA from finding any rhythm with their suffocating defense. Luka began to heat up slightly with four points. Los Angeles could not find a single way to stop Minnesota from draining what felt like 475 3-pointers.
A sudden 10-0 scoring surge from the Lakers gave them some life they could build on for a potential comeback. Luka banked in an insane half-court buzzer-beater to cut the deficit to 16 at the end of the third.
Luka Doncic banks in a 3 from halfcourt to end the 3rd Q with LAL down 94-78. He’s got 31 pts to lead all scorers. But the Lakers still have their work cut out for them.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 20, 2025
The final frame opened with another 3-pointer from Luka. Despite the nice offensive surge from LA, the Wolves were still knocking down their shots because the Lakers still struggled to string together defensive stops.
Jarred Vanderbilt put in good work with his contagious energy and ability to do the dirty work. Edwards began to put the Wolves on his shoulders, trying to stop the Lakers from building any more momentum.
Los Angeles had shown that they had some fight left in them, but the hole was too deep to dig themselves out of as the Wolves kept them at bay despite the rally.
Key Takeaways:
Sometimes you need a beatdown to remind you that anything can happen in the playoffs. Regroup for Game 2.
Don’t forget, everybody, you have to lose one to make it Lakers in five.
The Lakers’ next game will be Game 2 on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
