LOS ANGELES — Short of denying the Minnesota Timberwolves entry to Crypto.com Arena Tuesday night, how can the Los Angeles Lakers rebound from a Game 1 playoff beatdown?
The sixth-seeded Timberwolves throttled the third-seeded Lakers, 117-95, Saturday in the opening game of the best-of-7 first-round playoff series.
Group prayer couldn’t hurt before Game 2 on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. After all, Luka Doncic had 37 points in Game 1 and the Lakers had the services of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, and they still were no match for the Timberwolves.
So now what?
“It’s not to say our guys weren’t ready to, like, withstand a playoff-level basketball game,’’ Lakers coach JJ Redick told the media during his postgame remarks. “We were mentally ready, I thought our spirit was right.’’
Of course, there’s a “but” here. But?
“I’m not sure physically we were ready, if that makes sense,’’ Redick said. “And really, when they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, like, we just didn’t respond.’’
Statistical evidence: Minnesota had 44 points in the paint, 12 more than Los Angeles. Minnesota had 23 second-chance points. Minnesota also outrebounded Los Angeles, 33-25.
Essentially, the Lakers looked ready for bumper cars and the Timberwolves were ready for a demolition derby.
“I think we got to be the aggressor,’’ Lakers defensive specialist Jarred Vanderbilt said. “… We’ve just got to match that physicality.’’
And not toughness for toughness sake. That physicality will have to help the Lakers in several areas.
Such as limiting Minnesota’s 3-point assault. (The Timberwolves were 21-of-42 within 3-point range.) And cutting down on fastbreak points. (The Timberwolves had 25 compared to just six for the Lakers.)
So, now the Lakers know what they must do. But do they know if they can do it?
Who keeps JJ Redick up at night?
It’s possible Redick was less surprised than disappointed by the outcome of Game 1 based on his pregame comments.
“I’ve said all week, they’re a formidable opponent,’’ Redick said during pregame remarks to the media. “They’re one of the best teams in basketball. They have a number of players besides Anthony Edwards who keep you up at night.’’
Now we know who those players include – reserve forward Naz Reid, who had 21 points, and starting forward Jaden McDaniels had 25 points.
They were especially clutch in the first half when Edwards managed to score only eight points. By contrast, Reid had 17 off the bench and McDaniels had 14.
For the game, they shot a combined 19-for-25 from the floor and 9-for-12 from 3-point range.
Fast start fizzled for Lakers
Doncic fueled the Lakers early, scoring 10 of their first 12 points, as they opened up an early eight-point lead. They basically sustained it, too, leading 28-21 at the end of the quarter.
But things turned quickly.
“They blitzed us,’’ James said.
The Timberwolves outscored the Lakers 38-20 in the second quarter, led 59-48 at the half and the lead ballooned to 27 points in the third quarter.
Redick cited Minnesota’s success in transition. The Timberwolves also started asserting their physicality.
The crowd did its part.
With Will Ferrell and Jack Black mugging for the video board, Lakers fans got fired up when the Lakers cut their deficit to 17 in the third quarter. The crowd erupted when Doncic hit a 41-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the quarter to cut the deficit to 16. But the Lakers could get no closer than 12 before the Timberwolves pulled away.
Bronny’s moment
Bronny James made his NBA playoff debut while his father watched. It’s unlikely they will reminisce about it years from now.
With 3:02 left to play and the Lakers down 113-90, Redick put Bronny James and other seldom-used reserves in the game.
Bronny shot two 3-pointers. He missed them both.
Next up
The Lakers and the Timberwolves will play Game 2 on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena.
This story was updated to fix a typo.
