Timberwolves 117 vs 95 Lakers Game 1 summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoffs
Anthony Edwards was at the center of everything, but it was the rest of the cast that stepped up and pulled out the win in Game 1 from LA. ANT was close to a triple double, Reid lit it up from downtown, hitting 6 of 9 threes and Jayden McDaniels led all scorers with 25 points while guarding either Luka or LeBron for most of the night.
The T'Wolves drew first blood on Saturday night and will look to take a massive advantage back to Minnesota. They take on the Lakers in Game 2 from LA on Tuesday night. If they win that one, the Lakers will be in serious trouble.
The T'Wolves set a franchise record for threes in a playoff game with 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. They would end the night 21/42 and had 29 assists on 44 made field goals. Offensively it can't get much better than that for Chris Finch's team.
Luka knocked down the buzzer beater from half court to end the 3rd quarter and but the lead down to 16 heading into the final quarter. There was a little wind in the sails of the Lakers, but that wouldn't last long as Minnesota continued to keep LA at an arms length.
LeBron ended the game with 19 points and 5 rebounds but it was a far cry from the usual LeBron we see around this time of year. Luka had 37, but had just 1 assist as the rest of the team struggled to put the ball in the basket.
Everything was going right for the T'Wolves but ANT took a spill in the third quarter and grabbed his left leg before heading right to the locker room. He was diagnosed with cramping and eventually came back, but the Lakers chipped in to the lead before he came back.
The three point shooting didn't slow down coming out of the halftime break. The T'Wolves continued to light up the scoreboard in Crypto.com Arena as they built up a 27 point lead in the third quarter.
The T'Wolves were 11/22 from downtown in the first half and had more than half of their points come from the three point line after two quarters. Donte DiVincenzo had 9 points off the bench, but this three sent MIN into the locker room with a ton of momentum and an 11 point lead.
The T'Wolves went on a 26-6 run to start the second quarter to build up a double digit lead which they held on to for the rest of the night. Edwards was more of a distributor than anything else. His coach said after the game, the best version of ANT is when he flirts with a triple double, and ANT had 8 rebounds and 9 assists.
LeBron didn't score or have an assist in the first quarter, but he did have this vintage chase down block that we are so used to seeing once the playoffs come rolling around. He would get going on the offensive end, but the Lakers could never catch up or slow down the T'Wolves.
Naz Reid was named the Sixth Man of the Year last year, and tonight in the first playoff game of the T'Wolves postseason campaign he went wild from downtown. he had four threes in the first quarter and ended the night with 23.
Luka had 16 of the Lakers 28 points in the first quarter, but the Timberwolves had yet to catch their stride. They would hit LA with an early knock out blow in the 2nd quarter and the Lakers never recovered.
The Minnesota Timberwolves went into the Crypto.com Arena and stunned the Los Angeles Lakers with a barrage of three pointers to take Game 1 on the road. Anthony Edwards had a complete game, but it was Jayden McDaniels that led the T'Wolves wit h 25 points in the 117-95 from LA.
Luka Doncic and the Lakers got off the a hot start in the first quarter. Luka had 9 points in the first few minutes of his playoff debut as a Laker, but he and LA would cool down after a while.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The Minnesota Timberwolves go into LA and stun Luka, LeBron and the Lakers in Game 1!!!
Knecht witih a three ball to end the game but that will come of little solace for the Lakers who went cold after the first quarter.
Garza with the offensive board and put back slam.
Clark to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Milton.
Knecht pulls up from the FT line and hits the jumper.
Timeout T'Wolves with 2:05 to go.
McDaniels with the fake pass and step through in the lane for the floater.
DiVencenzo picks off the pass and DiVencenzo takes it for the wide open slam on the other end!
Timeout Lakers with 4:41 to go in the 4th.
Reid back into the game, and he drills the three ball from the wing! He's got 6 three ball and 23 points!!!
McDaniels pulls up and hits it from outside the lane.
LeBron with the jam off the dish from Hachimura on the inbound.
Timeout T'Wolves with under 8:00 to go.
Edwards drills the deep three ball off the catch and shoot!
Vincent missed the three ball and but Vanderbilt was there for the tip in.
Timeout T'Wolves as Reid stays down on the floor after colliding with Vanderbilt on the rebound attempt.
9:26 to go in the 4th quarter.
Edwards draws the double team and that left Randle open from the wing and he drills the three!
Doncic lays it up and in off the feed from LeBron.
Edwards back into the game after suffering from cramps and he hits the mid range fader over Doncic.
LeBron gets the jump hook to go from the baseline and Randle gets T'd up after getting tied up with Vanderbilt.
Doncic hits the FT.
Randle with the faders in the lane over LeBron.
Doncic starts the quarter with the three ball and it's a 13 point deficit for the home team.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE FINAL QUARTER!!!
MIN lead by 16, but Edwards got hurt in the third quarter and hasn't returned after heading to the locker room.
Luka pulls up from half court and he banks it in to beat the buzzer!!!!
Doncic sends Alexander-Walker to the line and he hits both FTs.
Reaves to the cup after the pump fake and he lays it up and in.
Conley pulls up and floats it up in the lane.
Luka into the lane and he floats it up over DiVencenzo.
DiVencenzo off the dribble and he hangs it high off the glass.
Vanderbilt with the steal and he gets it to LeBron who goes right at the cup and lays it up and in.
Timeout MIN with 2:03 to go after a 10-0 run from LA.
Doncic into traffic and he puts it up and in from down low.
Coach FInch just got T'd up and Reaves hits the FT.
Reaves to the line after the foul on DiVencenzo and he hits both FTs.
Edwards was injured and went right to the locker room. We will keep you posted.
Reaves answers back with a step back three ball from the top of the key.
Reid in the corner and he drills the three ball! He's got 20 on the night off the bench!
Reaves pulls up and hits the three ball over Gobert! He's had a quiet night so far.
Timeout MIN with 4:33 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Edwards wide open in the corner and he drills another three ball!!!
Luka in traffic and he floats it up and in off the fader.
Daniels with the baseline drive and finish off the glass over Luka.
Doncic into the lane and he hits the fader off the glass from the block.
Edwards pulls up from the wing and he drills the three ball!!!! The T'Wolves are red hot from DT!!
Conley with the strip of Luka, and he pulls up from three point range and drills it from the wing!
Randle with the offensive board and put back, and the foul!! FT is no good after the foul on Finney-Smith.
Reaves in the corner off the feed from LeBron and he hits the three ball!
Gobert attacking the rack with an alley oop off the feed from Randle!
James drains the three ball out of the timeout to stop the T'WOlves run.
Edwards steps into a three ball and he hits it from the Lakers logo!!!
Timeout Lakers after a quick start from MIN!!!
McDaniels down the lane and he lays it up and in off the feed from Edwards.
Edwards follows his own miss, kicks it out and Randle his the three from the wing!
McDaniels opens the half with a three ball from the corner off the kick out from Edwards!
WE ARE BACK IN LA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!!
The T'Wolves went 11/22 from downtown in the first half, ending with this deep ball from DiVencenzo. Edwards has just 8, Reid leads the team with 17 and McDaniels has 14.
Luka has 20, LeBron has 10 and Rui has 9 but the Lakers went quiet in the 2nd quarter.
Reid has 17 off the bench and is 4/5 from downtown. He got hot in the second quarter and helped build the huge run for MIN that put them in control.
Not much went right for the Lakers who gave up 38 points in that 2nd quarter, but with out their 40 year old super star, that would have been at leas 40 points. This chase down block is vintage LeBron in the playoffs.
Naz Reid and Anthony Edwards went off to start the second quarter. They went on a 12-2 run that would eventually turn into a 26-6 run which put the visitors up double digits and they have kept that cushion for most of the 2nd quarter.
Luka had 16 of the first 28 for the Lakers in the first quarter as LA took a 7 point lead into the second quarter but they would turn off after the quarter change.
The Lakers got off to a red hot start, but really it was Luka running the show and no one else was really doing much of anything. He came out and had 9 of the first 12 points for LA.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE HALFTIME BREAK WITH THE SIX SEED T'WOLVES UP 11 ON THE LAKERS!!!
DiVencenzo beats the buzzer with a deep three ball from the logo and he ends the first half with a bang!!!
LeBron with the give and go and he got it back for the lay up and one! FT is good.
Luka to the line after the foul on McDaniels and he hits both FTs with 1:30 to go in the half.
Edwards kicks it out to Randle in the corner and he drills the three ball!
LeBron with the pull up from the FT line and he sinks it.
Edwards to the line after the foul on Finney-Smith and he hits both FTs.
LeBron with the up and under over Randle from down on the block.
Reid with another three ball, tis one from the corner and he's got four of those already!
Reid to the line after the foul on Reaves and he hits one of two FTs.
Doncic to the line after the foul on Gobert and he hits both FTs.
Hachimura with a three ball out of the timeout and the Lakers needed that.
This was the chase down from LeBron, but this second quarter isn't going the way the Lakers expected. MIN are all over them at the moment.
It's a 26-6 run to start the quarter for MIN!!!
Kick out from DiVencenzo and he finds Reid with the catch and shoot three ball from the corner!
Timeout Lakers with 5:19 to go in the 2nd quarter!
Alexander-Walker to the cup and he goes coast to coast with the lay up.
Edwards with the offensive board and he finds Reid for the three ball from the wing!
LEBRON JUST HAD ONE OF HIS PATENTED TRACK DOWN BLOCKS ON ALEXANDER-WALKER!!
Replays to come.
Hayes whistled for the defensive three seconds call and Conley hits the FT.
Conley sends Hayes to the line and he hits one of two FTs.
Kick out from Alexander-Walker on the break and he finds Conley for the open three in the corner!
LeBron on the spin, bucket from the elbow and one! FT is good and he's on the board for the first time.
McDaniels again, tis time following his own miss and getting the put back to fall.
McDaniels playing bully ball down low, dragging the rebound down and putting it back up.
Timeout LA with 9:15 to go in the half.
Reid on the quick trigger and he drills the deep three to give MIN their first lead of the night!
Alexander-Walker from the paint and he floats it up and in.
Reaves on the floater from the baseline.
McDaniels with back to back buckets, this one from the corner for three!
McDaniels with the turnaround fade away from the mid range for the first bucket of the quarter.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER AND THE LAKERS LEAD BY 7!
Luka has 16 of the Lakers 28 in his playoff debut in purple and gold.
Edwards send Luka to the line where he hits both FTs.
Reid down low and he gets the roll on the leaner.
Offensive board from Vanderbilt and he kicks it out from Finney-Smith for the three from the wing!
Alexander-Walker open for three and he knocks it down from the top of the key!
Vanderbilt down low with the extra pass to Vincent in the corner and he drains the three ball!
Edwards up and under Hachimura and gets the leaner to go in the paint.
Edwards running the break and he takes it to the cup for a lay up.
Luka into the lane and he gets the floater to fall.
Ried slithers to the lane and he lays it up an in in traffic.
Luka left alone from the top of the key and he drills the three ball! HE's got 12 already.
McDaniels jacks a three ball in the face of Doncic off the feed from Edwards.
The call was overturned so good challenge by LA, and a jump ball is coming after the foul was nullified.
ANT just shook Hachimura on the perimeter and went for the dunk over Vincent. He was fouled on the way up but LA want to challenge the foul called on Vincent.
TIMEOUT AFTER A QUICK START FROM LA!!!
Luka has 9 already and Hachimura has the other 6 for LA six minutes in to this game.
Luka tracks down his own rebound and it ends up in the hands of Hachimura who drains the three ball from the wing!
Luka on the step back three ball again and he's got 9 already!!
McDaniels with an offensive board and put back after missing his first lay up.
Randle answers back with a three ball from the wing, and he's going to have to have a big series if the T'Wolves are going to have a shot.
Reaves kicks it to the corner for Hachimura and he nails it from downtown!
Edwards into the lane and he floats it up and in for the T'Wolves first points.
Luka streaks to the bucket and Reaves found him for the lay up.
Hayes with the offensive boar and he hits Luka who nails the step back three in the face of Randle!!
Doncic to the line after the foul on Gobert and he hits one of two FTs.
GAME 1 IS UNDERWAY FROM LA!!!
Today's scores
The playoffs have started with a bang. There have been three tip offs already. The Pacers got off to an early lead in round one with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Nuggets needed OT to beat the Clippers in what could be the series of the opening round. The Knicks are going to beat the Pistons, up 8 with under a minute to go. And for dessert, we have the Lakers and T'Wolves tipping off in a matter of minutes.
WE ARE TWO MINUTES AWAY FROM TIP OFF TO GAME ONE FROM LA!!!
Lakers first five
If and when the Lakers are healthy, this is going to be their first five. LeBron, Luka and Reaves are staples in the starting five, and Hayes is the principal big man for this team. Rui Hachimura, when healthy is a shoe in for the Lakers to start the game. He can shoot, defend, and give you all the hustle plays you need from a role player.
T'Wolves first five
The T'Wolves would love to steal the opener in LA, but to do that they are going to have to get off to a quick start. That will be up to veteran PG Mike Conley, McDaniels, ANT Man, Randall and Gobert.
All or nothing for LA coaches in 1st year
It’s one of the craziest stats in NBA and Lakers history. The Los Angeles Lakers are the second winningest franchise in the NBA trailing only the Boston Celtics who took the lead with last year’s championship. Now the Lakers are looking to even the historical series with a new coach in his first year in LA. That’s good news for the Lakers, because it seems to be all or noting for LA coaches who come to lead the Lake Show in their first year. Each of the six coaches that have combined for the 17 NBA titles won championships in their first year as a Laker coach. It started with Johns Kunda, who led LA to four titles after winning in his debut year as Lakers coach. Phil Jackson did the same thing during his era in LA. Pat Riley won four titles, and his era of dominance started in his first year when he took LA to the finals and won. Bill Sharman, Paul Westhead and Frank Vogel all won a title, but those came in year one with the Lakers. They would never return the Lakers to title glory.
The James connection
LeBron James and Bronny James made history earlier this season. After years of anticipation, the father and son duo were on the same court wearing the same jersey becoming the first father-son duo to play in the same game. Now they will become the first father-son duo to play in a playoff game. It’s another seemingly unreachable record that LeBron James has set over the course of his 22 year NBA career. He is the leagues all-time leading scorer, considered the GOAT by many and now he has a chance to be a part of the first father-son duo to win an NBA title.
Pelinka extended in LA
While the Dallas Mavericks were knocked out of the Play In last night in Memphis, the Lakers are gearing up for a deep playoff run. One of the general managers involved in the Luka trade, Nico Harrison, is on the hot seat even more following the Mavs elimination. The other, Rob Pelinka, who brought Luka to LA, has been rewarded with a contract extension before the playoffs. He has been promoted from vice president of basketball operations to president of basketball operations, and while the details of the extension weren’t revealed, he will sticking around LA for years to come. As to Harrison, only time will tell if and when the Mavs fans forgive their GM, but for now, public enemy number one in Dallas still has a job heading into the offseason.
Harrison watching with interested eyes
During the few day break the Lakers had as the Play In was going on, Malika Andrews had a chance to sit down with Luka Doncic. It was the first time the Lakers and Luka had a chance to sit back and relax for a few days since the trade and ESPN got an exclusive interview with Luka to get his thoughts and feeling about the trade two months following the deal. He says he hasn’t talked with Nico Harrison nor has a desire too but did express his dream of staying in Dallas for his entire career. He has turned the page but still loves the city and the fans in Dallas, but he is a Laker now and that is where is attention and focus has turned to.
NBA Title odds
Luka coming to LA made the Lakers a better team, and probably made them a more attractive bet to win the title, but they are far from the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy coming into the first round of the playoffs. That honor goes to the top seeded OKC Thunder who are at the top of all the biggest betting houses board. MGM Grand is the one I usually base my lines on, so let’s stick with them. Being the Thunder sit the Celtics who are +200 to repeat as champs. The one seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting in 3rd at +550, and after them sit the Lakers at +1000. The Golden State Warriors round out the top five at +1500, and the Orlando Magic are the biggest long shot at +100000.
Since the trade of all trades
The Luka trade went down at the beginning of February, but Doncic was still nursing a calf strain that kept him out for a few days after the deal was finalized. He debuted against the Utah Jazz on February 10th. At that point in the season, LA was 31-19 and in the playoff positions in the West. Since Luka’s debut they climbed up the conference ladder, finishing with the third spot heading into the playoffs. Luka and LeBron have learned how to play on the fly and now the two superstars are hitting full stride heading into the playoffs. Tonight we get our first look at what this Lakers team will look like in the playoffs.
Star watch: Lakers
It’s pick your poison when you match up against the Los Angeles Lakers. They have a three headed monster in Luka, LeBron and Austin Reaves, and each of them can take over a game and lead LA to a win. Luka and LeBron have already shown that, but Reaves has blossomed into a star this year. While having Reaves and Luka is great, this team is always going to be led by LeBron James. The four time champion knows what it takes to get to the Finals, and now that he doesn’t have to carry all of the burden, that could keep him fresher and more dangerous despite being 40 years old. This year he is averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists, and deserves to be in the MVP conversation in his 22nd season in the NBA.
Star watch: T’Wolves
The Timberwolves have been and will be led by their 23 year old superstar Anthony Edwards. He has already established himself as a bonafide All-Star and some claim he is going to be the one to take the torch once LeBron hangs it up. He has gone through the playoff growing pains that every young star has to go through and now he’s got his sights on a deep postseason run. The No. 1 pick back in 2020 had his best season ever after going to the Conference Finals last year. He averaged 27.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 4.5 apg while surrounded by a new cast of supporting characters, and he knows it’s going to be up to him to stun the Lakers in this mouth watering seven game series.
How they got here: Lakers
The Lakers were in the midst of a great season, hanging around the top of the Western Conference to bring in the new year, and things seemed to be going smoothly for JJ Redick in his first season as the Lakers coach. He managed the Bronny James situation perfectly to start the season, and had LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the team heading into the All-Star Break. At the beginning of February, a shocking trade shook the landscape of the NBA as the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis and a handful of players and picks. They were 12 games above .500 when Luka debuted, and since mid February they have stretched that to 18 games over .500. Now they are the 3 seed in the West, and there aren’t many people who would bet against Luka, LeBron and the Lakers in a seven game series.
How they got here: T’Wolves
After trading away Karl Anthony-Towns for Julius Randle, the Timberwolves had an adjustment period that took a few months to sort out. Anthony Edwards was always going to be the star of the show, but Chris Finch’s team was hovering around .500 for the first three months of the season. In the middle of January they were 22-21, but since then they have gone 27-12 and were in contention for a top four spot in the final stretch of the season. They finished the season winning 8 of their last 9 games but ended up with the six seed, forcing them to start the first round on the road.
We are live from LA
Hello everyone and welcome to the City of Angeles where the new look Lakers will make their playoff debut tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s been an interesting year for both teams who have gone through some major roster changes since this time last year. The Lakers made what was maybe the trade of the century and rocketed up the standings while the Timberwolves took a chance trading away one of their key pieces to success over the last few years, and they have spent the entire campaign trying to get back to where they were last year.
T’Wolves vs. Lakers Game 1
It’s the most anticipated first round playoff series, and it starts tonight in LA. Two star studded teams, a seven game series, first to four wins advances. One team comes into the postseason as one of the favorites to win the title, while the other looks to stun the leagues newest super squad on the shoulders of their young super star. It’s Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the LeBron, Luka and the Los Angeles Lakers and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from Crypto.com Arena.