Los Angeles Lakers They were embarrassed on the home court to launch the NBA playoffs on Saturday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat 117-95 in a game that didn’t even have to stay on the floor throughout the fourth quarter.
The Lakers are the third seed in the Western Conference to start these playoffs, but Timberwolves They were heading into an offensive end to hand over the loss of the only home team in the playoff opening night.
Due to poor performance, Lakers legend attempted to set fire to the ground beneath his previous team.
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Minnesota Timberwolves Guard Anthony Edwards passes Los Angeles Lakers Guard Austin Reeves at the crypto.com arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Immagn image)
“Tonight was one of the Lakers’ worst performances this season,” Magic Johnson wrote to X.
Johnson pointed his finger at head coach JJ Reddick, which wasn’t done there.
Are the Lakers struggling after a 22-point loss to their home Timberwolves?
“Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season, but he didn’t do a good job in Game 1,” Johnson continued. “The Lakers got up on their offense and played too many one-on-one basketball and didn’t make the necessary adjustments.”
If adjustments were made, they would not work against Minnesota attacks. Minnesota’s offensive attacks earned a whopping 51.2% from the team and a whopping 50% beyond the arc.
The Timberwolves were raining on the three, filling six of his nine three-point attempts with big man Naz Reid holding a hot hand for 42-21.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards drives Loui Hachimura forward at the crypto.com arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Immagn image)
Anthony Edwards, who was approaching a triple double with 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, also hit four threes despite his volatile outing (8-22 overall shooting). Jaden McDaniels was extremely efficient with a team-high 25 points with a 13-11 rebound and a 13-11 shooting.
Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled throughout the game, shooting 39.8% off the field. Luka Doncic was the exception, scoring 22-22 from the field and 37 points from 3-5-10. LeBron James was 18-8, while Austin Reeves was 13-5.
Los Angeles led after the first quarter, but the Timberwolves were the second hottest and never looked back. By the end of the game, both teams’ starters were resting and Minnesota was out of reach.
After the match, James recognized the Timberwolves’ offensive power.
Magic Johnson will speak on April 25, 2024 at the crypto.com arena in Los Angeles at a ceremony celebrating Michael Cooper’s induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame at halftime between the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
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“They’re going to be physical,” he explained. “That’s what they bring to the table. It got it to us. They took it back to court superiority from us tonight, but we need to control what we can control, and then we have a chance to win much more than tonight.”
The Lakers and Timberwolves returned on Tuesday while active for their Game 2 Match-up in the first round.
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