When the Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their preseason in early October, it was against the Minnesota Timberwolves. When they started the regular season a few weeks later, their first opponent was the Timberwolves. Fast-forward 81 games and a blockbuster trade later, and guess who’s facing off against the No. 3-seeded Lakers in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs? You guessed it: the No. 6-seeded Timberwolves.
Minnesota took Game 1 in blowout fashion, 117-95, even with Luka Dončić putting up 37 points. Game 2 was a different story as the Lakers put forth a much better defensive effort and tied the series at 1-1 with a 94-85 victory on Tuesday night.
It’s been more than 20 years since Minnesota’s original NBA team faced off against its current one in a playoff series, yet it is a matchup that, on one particular level, feels very familiar. Dončić wasn’t on the Lakers for the beginning of the preseason or the regular season, but he ended Minnesota’s 2024 postseason in a 4-1 Western Conference finals victory with the Dallas Mavericks.
For the first time since 2018, LeBron James has home-court advantage in a playoff series (remember that the entire 2020 postseason was technically played on neutral courts in Orlando). The James-Dončić partnership, thus far, has been a smashing success.
The Edwards-Julius Randle duo, meanwhile, has been a work in progress. These are not the same Timberwolves Dončić defeated a year ago, and after a rough start without Karl-Anthony Towns, this Minnesota team finished 17-4 to punch its ticket into the playoffs.
Lakers vs. Timberwolves playoffs schedule
(All times Eastern)
Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95
Game 2: Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85
Game 3: Friday, April 25 | Lakers at Timberwolves | 9:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 4: Sunday, April 27 | Lakers at Timberwolves | 3:30 p.m., ABC/fubo
*Game 5: Wednesday, April 30 | Timberwolves at Lakers | Time/TV TBD
*Game 6: Friday, May 2 | Lakers at Timberwolves | Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Sunday, May 4 | Timberwolves at Lakers | Time/TV TBD
(*=if necessary)
Lakers vs. Timberwolves odds
- Series odds: LAL -115 | MIN -105
- Game 3 odds: Timberwolves -2.5, O/U: 207.5
(Odds via DraftKings)
CBS Sports will have updates below throughout the Lakers-Timberwolves series.
