Going off the box score, it was a runaway 94-85 win Tuesday night for the Los Angeles Lakers. And yet, they still have plenty to work on.
The host Lakers took Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves — thanks to a near triple-double from Luka Dončić — to even the first-round series as it heads to the Twin Cities. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday at the Target Center at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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Dončić shot 9-of-20 from the floor but hit all 11 of his free throws and added 12 rebounds and nine assists.
The Lakers took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and maintained a lead of at least nine points for the rest of the game, but it was paradoxically a frustrating game, one that left head coach JJ Redick cursing his team out in the third quarter as the Timberwolves tried to make it a game.
The Lakers once again got very little from their bench — Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent supplied all the non-starter production with 13 total points — but it didn’t matter Tuesday because Minnesota shot so poorly.
Los Angeles overwhelmed Minnesota on defense, with LeBron James leading a renewed effort at the point of attack and on the 3-point line. And on offense, James and Luka Dončić combined for 52 points, 23 rebounds and 16 assists. The Lakers got the matchups they wanted, most notably Dončić against Rudy Gobert on the perimeter, but their strategy eventually encountered diminishing returns as the Timberwolves adjusted and shook off some foul trouble.
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It was overall an ugly game, with the two teams combining to go 11-of-54 from 3-point range with 46 fouls (and 45 free-throw attempts). Minnesota had multiple chances to make L.A. really sweat in the fourth quarter, but its only consistent player of the night was Julius Randle, who scored 27 points.
Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker combined to go 5-of-26 from the field. Even Anthony Edwards was a bit off, scoring 25 points on 10-of-22 shooting.
Neither coach seemed happy with his team during the game, but the Lakers at least got the win. The question now is if they can find a more free-flowing game in front of a hostile crowd in Minnesota.
Here’s how it all went down at Yahoo Sports:
