Luka Dončić’s playoff debut with the Los Angeles Lakers did not go as planned Saturday night.
After a huge opening quarter from the team’s new star, things quickly went south at Crypto.com Arena, and the Lakers found themselves on the wrong side of a stunning blowout.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a dominant 117-95 win over the Lakers in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series. While it’s unlikely the series will continue to be this lopsided, the Lakers clearly have some work to do if they are going to avoid another first-round playoff exit.
Dončić took off instantly in his playoff debut with the Lakers, which came just one day after his former Mavericks team was knocked out in the play-in tournament. He dropped 16 points in the opening period while shooting 5 of 10 from the field to give the Lakers the early advantage. The rest of the team struggled offensively, though, and that showed in the second quarter when Dončić finally slowed down.
The Timberwolves outscored the Lakers 38-20 in the second period and ended up taking an 11-point advantage into the locker room. LeBron James, who was scoreless in the first quarter, dropped 10 points in the second to keep the Lakers within striking distance. To James’ credit, while he struggled to score, he did come up with a massive block off the glass to stop what would’ve been an easy layup from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
It didn’t get any better for the Lakers after halftime, either. The Timberwolves opened the third quarter on an 11-0 tear in less than two minutes behind three quick 3-pointers, the last from Anthony Edwards that forced a Los Angeles timeout. That suddenly gave the Timberwolves a 22-point lead, the largest of the game at the time.
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By the time the third quarter was over, the Timberwolves’ lead had been cut to 16. That was far better for the Lakers than it could’ve been. Minnesota led by 27 points at one point before the Lakers’ late 17-6 run, and then Dončić hit a third-quarter, buzzer-beater from the half-court without any issue whatsoever.
Edwards left the game in the third quarter due to a cramp in his left leg, which the Lakers took advantage of. While he returned to the game early in the fourth quarter and hit a bucket over Dončić immediately, the Lakers still managed to cut the lead to 12 points.
That, though, was as close as they got. The Timberwolves quickly closed out the game, thanks to a 13-4 burst early in the fourth quarter, and grabbed the 1-0 series lead.
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Jaden McDaniels led the Timberwolves with 25 points and nine rebounds while shooting 11 of 13 from the field. Edwards finished just shy of a triple-double with 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Naz Reid, who left the game briefly after taking a shot to the head in the fourth quarter, dropped 23 points and hit six 3-pointers off the bench. The Timberwolves shot 50% from behind the arc and set a playoff franchise record with 21 made 3-pointers.
Dončić led the Lakers with 37 points and eight rebounds in the loss. James added 19 points, and Austin Reaves finished with 16 points. Those three were the only Lakers to hit double figures, and L.A. had just 15 assists as a team and gave up 25 fast-break points.
Game 2 is set for Tuesday night in Los Angeles. If the Lakers come out flat again, this series could be headed for a quick ending.
