The most surprising result from the first day of the 2025 NBA playoffs was the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ 117-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their first-round series. After taking the lead early in the second quarter, the Wolves never trailed again and spent the entire second half up by double digits.
The Timberwolves dictated the action on both ends of the floor all night long and, after the defeat, the Lakers’ coaches and players admitted that they weren’t prepared for their opponents’ toughness.
“They’re one of the best teams in basketball,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “It’s not to say our guys weren’t ready to withstand a playoff-level basketball game. We were mentally ready. I thought our spirit was right. I thought even when they made runs, our huddles were great. The communication was great.
“I’m not sure physically we were ready, if that makes sense. And really, when they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, we just didn’t respond to meet that.”
Guard Austin Reaves concurred. “I think that they just physically beat us from the get-go,” Reaves said.
The Timberwolves won the rebounding battle (44-38), scored more points in the paint (44-32), had more second-chance points (23-20) and forced more turnovers (10-13). With all of their experience, the Lakers should have been ready for a playoff-level intensity, but as the old Mike Tyson quote goes, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
Even in the postseason, few teams can ratchet things up like the Wolves, who boast a big, physical, athletic rotation with a number of interchangeable pieces. The Lakers, on the other hand, prefer to play small, and don’t have the size to match the Wolves in the frontcourt. Jaxson Hayes is the Lakers’ only true center, and though he started, he played just eight minutes.
This series is far from over. The Lakers have two of the best playoff performers in recent memory on their side in Luka Doncic and LeBron James, and likely won’t have another game where they shoot under 40% from the field. But in addition to making more shots, the Lakers will need to rise to the occasion.
James, who struggled in Game 1 en route to just 19 points on 18 shots, is confident his team will be able to do so in Game 2 (LAL -5.5 | O/U: 215, via DraftKings).
“Maybe it took us one playoff game to now get a feel for it and know what type of intensity, the type of physicality is going to be brought to the game,” James said. “But that’s just the way they play. So we should be more than prepared for that on Tuesday night.”
