The assignment was clear for the Los Angeles Lakers going into Tuesday’s vital Game 2 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves after their 117-95 blowout loss in the series opener on Saturday night.
Be more aggressive. More organized. More physical. Set the tone, rather than allow the Timberwolves to do so.
Mission accomplished, with the Lakers stepping up their intensity in Tuesday night’s 94-85 victory over the Timberwolves to tie the best-of-seven first-round series at 1-1 before heading to the ‘Twin Cities’, Minneapolis for Games 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday at Target Center.
“We were very physical,” Coach JJ Redick said. “As were they.”
He added: “The playoffs require a different level.”
Luka Doncic once again led the Lakers from the opening tip, scoring 16 of his game-high 31 points in the first quarter to help the hosts get out to an early lead, 34-15, going into the second. The Lakers’ lead expanded to as many as 22 points, 53-31, late in the second quarter.
However, it was not just Doncic’s offensive showcase, who had 37 points in Game 1 that helped propel the Lakers to victory.
It was their increased physicality with their defensive switching, evident in their 24 fouls after picking up just 10 on Saturday. It was not unnecessarily giving up space for the Timberwolves to attack or pick their defense apart. And being sharper with their off ball/help defense.
“We did the same game plan,” Doncic said. “We didn’t really change much. It was just a question of if we were gonna be more physical or not. And we were for 48 minutes. We got up big in the first quarter. We learned from the last game. And we just stuck to it.”
The Lakers were more organized offensively, running through their sets more frequently and being more deliberate with how they attacked the Timberwolves defense after seeing in Game 1 that the Timberwolves were not showing the hedging/blitzing defensive game plan they anticipated. The Lakers created easier shots for themselves, which also helped keep the Timberwolves out of transition after they scored 25 fast-break points in Game 1.
Embed from Getty Images“We looked at what we didn’t do so well, which is a lot of things in Game 1,” said LeBron James, who had 21 points and made a key steal in the fourth quarter. “We took it to heart, held each other accountable and had a much better result.”
“We could still be better offensively. At times we were very sharp. But at times, we weren’t. We could do a better job on the offensive end, but we’re going to continue to get better, continue to watch the film, see ways we can kinda break down the defense and continue to get good looks.”
Even with the Timberwolves cutting their deficit to nine several times, including 90-81 late in the fourth quarter, the Lakers never surrendered control of a chippy, choppy game that included 46 combined personal fouls and multiple video reviews.
James and Rui Hachimura both took hard fouls to the face. Hachimura left the game in the first quarter after his shot to the face left him bloodied, going back to the locker room and returning to the Lakers’ bench in the second period donning a clear mask, which did not stay on his face for long when he checked back into the game. He played the second half in a black mask.
“He played like a warrior tonight,” Redick said of Hachimura.
After having a slow start in Game 1, James bounced back strong, adding 11 rebounds and seven assists to his point total. Austin Reaves added 16 points, five assists and five rebounds, shooting 7 for 14 from the field despite missing all six of his 3-point attempts.
The third-seeded Lakers (6 for 29 – 20.7%) and sixth-seeded Timberwolves (5 for 25 – 20%) both struggled from downtown, a notable drop after Minnesota made a franchise-record 21 3-point shots while blowing out the Lakers, 117-95, in the opener.
In addition to his scoring total, Doncic was just one assist shy of a triple-double, having 12 rebounds and nine assists, eight more assists than he registered in Game 1.
Doncic led the Lakers attack and getting deeper into the paint on drives Tuesday, forcing the Timberwolves to rotate and creating openings in Minnesota’s defense.
Anthony Edwards, with 25 points, six rebounds, once again struggled against the help defense the Lakers showed him, shooting 10 for 22 from the field. The Lakers were even more aggressive with their defensive coverages against the All-Star and future face of the league, trapping and blitzing him in pick-and-rolls, a factor in him finishing without any assists for the first time in three years.
Julius Randle, with a team-high 27 points, was the only other Minnesota player to score in double figures as the Timberwolves shot an ice cold 38% overall on their way to a season-low point total.
Minnesota failed to take advantage of a 7-minute drought between field goals for the Lakers in the fourth, when the hosts scored just 13 points.
“We had some great looks,” James said. “I know a lot of my shots in the fourth quarter were great looks that just didn’t go. If we can continue to get great looks like that, I think we believe in our percentages. But we gotta continue to work the habits. We gotta continue to work the habits and continue to shoot the ball with confidence.”
Redick was complimentary of his players’ response, even if he had to lay into them in the fourth quarter during a profanity-laden timeout to maintain their focus and composure down the stretch.
“Tonight was just more about getting that urgency button switched back on,” Redick said.
