Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick suggested the Minnesota Timberwolves sucker punched his team in Game 1 on Saturday.
“It’s not to say our guys weren’t ready to withstand a playoff-level basketball game,” Redick told the media following the 117-95 home loss. “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.”
The Timberwolves started dominating early in the second quarter. Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Minnesota outscored L.A. 67-33 from the start of the second quarter past the midway point of the third.
The Lakers cut the deficit to 96-84 early in the fourth quarter, but the comeback attempt proved futile.
“Really, when they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, we just didn’t respond immediately to that,” Redick said. “And then that stretch from the start of the second through four-to-five minutes to go in the third, we lost that stretch by 34. So, that’s a blowout.”
In his postgame news conference, Lakers forward LeBron James, who scored 19 points in Game 1, admitted they didn’t match the Timberwolves’ toughness but suggested that shouldn’t be a problem in Game 2 in L.A. on Tuesday.
“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.”
As of Sunday, FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Timberwolves as the favorite (-138) to win the series. If the Lakers make necessary adjustments in Game 2, they could regain momentum following the embarrassing loss.
