The No. 3-seeded Los Angeles Lakers are hosting a Game 1 in the NBA Playoffs at home for the first time since 2012, and there is a palpable excitement over what L.A. can accomplish with Luka Doncic and LeBron James at the helm. Their first test begins on Saturday night as they face Anthony Edwards and No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in first-round action.
The Timberwolves are not your average sixth seed. They are, statistically, one of the best teams in all of basketball. They had the No. 8 offensive rating, No. 6 defensive rating and No. 4 net rating for the 2024-25 season. Typically, a team that is top-10 both offensively and defensively is a legitimate contender.
The reason for their lower ranking in the standings is both due to a crowded Western Conference and a painfully slow start. The Timberwolves struggled to adjust to their shocking offseason trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. This led them to start 8-10 and be .500 as late as 17-17 before taking off in the second half of the season.
They are led by Edwards, who continues to establish himself as one of the best players in the world. He averaged career highs in points per game (27.6) and 3-point percentage (39.5) and kept Minnesota afloat during difficult times to start the season.
But where the Timberwolves show some weaknesses is when other players are tasked with decision-making, as they don’t have a bonafide No. 2 option outside of Randle, who has notoriously struggled to translate his game to the postseason. They also have been so-so against the league’s best teams, riding one of the easiest schedules in basketball to their end-of-season hot streak.
This is where the Lakers’ advantages truly show. They not only have the best No. 2 option in the game in James behind Doncic, but they also have an elite third option in Austin Reaves. The Timberwolves are going to have to make some tough decisions on defense, and the Lakers have all the tools necessary to spread them thin.
The Luka trade in February completely turned around L.A.’s fortunes and made them a legitimate contender. Defensively, the team has gone five-out and switched everything, leaning on the strengths of players like Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes, LeBron, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jordan Goodwin.
On offense, they have spent the last two months working to break out of “taking turns” between their three main ball-handlers, instead punishing defenses for their aggression against Doncic. If he has a 1-on-1 matchup, he exploits it. If he’s blitzed, Reaves and James get to operate in a 4-on-3 situation, which almost always leads to an isolation bucket for them, or a wide open triple in the corner for Finney-Smith, Hachimura or Vincent.
In this series, the five-man unit of Doncic, James, Reaves, Finney-Smith and Hachimura will be the deciding factor. They held an 18.6 net rating in 108 minutes together during the regular season, and if they can translate that level of dominance to the playoffs, they could be unstoppable.
The Lakers are favored to win this series, and for good reason. They present so many issues for the Timberwolves defensively — especially if Rudy Gobert gets taken away from the rim — and may not have the offensive firepower to keep up. But they are not to be taken lightly, and the Lakers will need to put up a serious fight, hit their open shots and stay disciplined defensively in order to handle business and move to the second round.
Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (0-0)
Saturday, April 19, 5:30 p.m. PT
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: ABC
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Lakers Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Rui Hachimura
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin, Dalton Knecht
Timberwolves Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Mike Conley
SG: Anthony Edwards
SF: Jaden McDaniels
PF: Julius Randle
C: Rudy Gobert
Key Reserves: Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylen Clark
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