2025 NBA PLAYOFFS West First Round: #3 LA Lakers vs #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (Series tied 1-1)

[Hans1984]

Lakers need to improve to win this series.

[Mrakar]

Before the series i was laughing at one comment from Wolves fan begging the Wolves fans to not trash-talk Luka, since he is the best when he is pissed.
If Wolves players put as much energy in preparing for this game as they did trash talking after the last game, maybe they would fly home with 2-0.
I really like Ant, i like that he doesnt pretend to be something else, but man sometimes i think basketball is not first thing on his mind. Lets hope he bounces back,

[Kobe187]

Minny made a good 2nd half push after starting the game flat, Lakers benefited a lot from the officiating in this game, IF Minny plays like they’re capable of and the officiating isn’t as one sided then Minny shouldn’t have any problem winning this series.

[thinktank]

The Wolves D is not a problem.

Gotta score some buckets now.

[TimberKat]

I believe we're a bit exaggerating Wolves comeback, it was 16 points at the start of Q4, and a steal was if I remember right in Q2.

My focus wasn't about the steal but about his desperation to just show up Gobert. I get it, it's guaranteed highlight material. But I think he lost focus after that. And it wasn't just me who felt that way. Simmons / Lowe mentioned it. THC mentioned it. He spent all his time trying to hunt Gobert - who BTW held LAL to 5-17.

Or maybe his 3-pointer just didn't fall, he was 0/6 after starting with 2/2, which is probably correlated with doing a lot on both ends and playing 40+ minutes. Bottom line is that Luka and Lakers did enough in first half to afford worse second half.

Do you watch any of the games? Go rewind and see how Twolves defend Luka in the second half. Also, Lakers didn't score many more points than in game one. Yet they won't by playing better defense. I am surprised by Wolves response so poorly to adjustments. Hopefully, the they will do better next game.

[MagicMamba88]

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[Mavrelous]

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[levon]

The Wolves D is not a problem.

Gotta score some buckets now.

This isn't a Gobert series if you wanna score buckets. The Naz 5-out lineups give LA more trouble, although I think they're figuring things out there as well.

[Tesla]

Minny made a good 2nd half push after starting the game flat, Lakers benefited a lot from the officiating in this game, IF Minny plays like they’re capable of and the officiating isn’t as one sided then Minny shouldn’t have any problem winning this series.

I mean what game were you watching? I thought the officiating wasn't good in general, but if anything it favored Minny. With the Lakers its just turned into this narrative about how pro Lakers the officiating is all the time no matter what, it seems like in order for it to be viewed as even it has to be favored 80-90% to the opposing team at this point otherwise if its anywhere close to 50/50 (not fta, but if you actually watch the game) then its viewed as Lakers got 99% of the favorable calls. Lakers win = officiating, Lakers are so much worse than the other team, Lakers lose = opposing team played so much better despite playing 8 on 5, Lakers are terrible, they would lose 172 to 4 without the officials, did I get it right?

[rolling_91]

If Mike Conley gives the Twolves nothing they need to replace him with DiVincenzo. The Twolves go as well as their perimeter guys shoot it so they are going to have to play without a real point and let DiVincenzo or Alexander Walker take those minutes. That’s what I think.

Series is still a toss up. And even if the Lakers win, it’s going to take a physical toll on them for the next round. I don’t think the guys around LeBron and Luka and Reaves are good enough. That’s my overall impression

[KrAzY3]

If I'm a Lakers fan I'm really not feeling that good. For the talk about being fired up or what ever, despite key Timberwolves players being in foul trouble and the really hot start, it still ended up being a single digit victory.

The Lakers have a losing record on the road, I'd be pretty nervous about things...

[levon]

If I'm a Lakers fan I'm really not feeling that good. For the talk about being fired up or what ever, despite key Timberwolves players being in foul trouble and the really hot start, it still ended up being a single digit victory.

The Lakers have a losing record on the road, I'd be pretty nervous about things...

I'm not nervous. Only Donte got into foul trouble. They rebalanced Naz' fouls to keep him in the game despite multiple hits to the face. The Lakers were called for more fouls than the Wolves, and they shot identically from 3 as the Wolves so it wasn't a shot luck game.

If you really want to extrapolate based on margins in Game 2 (not wise), if anything I'd be concerned as a Wolves fan that all else equal (effort, calls, shot variance) they were down double digits wire to wire. The Lakers proved they can win a grind it out game.

And the road advantage is nonsense. Lakers lost a ton on the road to bad EC teams due to travel. They had the second best record against the Western conference among West teams, second only to OKC. And they have Luka, who led the Mavs to 3 road wins all in Minny last year and has been an underdog in literally every series.

[Bob8]

They wont win another game in the series. It's clear how to take their role players out of the game and Ant cant match Luka point for point.

Can he? Luka is averaging 10 points more with 67 TS%, Ant has 50 TS%. That's a huge difference. Luka is averaging more rebounds and assists too. Luka few levels better than Ant. Ant might have bigger dick.

Comparison between Ant and LeBron is far closer.

Now compare Ant and Luka's defense... Imagine comparing two players and completely ignoring half the game. Seems like the kind of logic that would claim Luka, Lebron and AR are one of the best big 3s in the history of the league.

Are you saying that Ant has 50 TS% against bad D?

Did you watch last game? Luka was doing a lot more in D than Ant, Wolves didn't exactly have a lot of success against him.

[thinktank]

The Wolves D is not a problem.

Gotta score some buckets now.

This isn't a Gobert series if you wanna score buckets. The Naz 5-out lineups give LA more trouble, although I think they're figuring things out there as well.

Gobert is +11 tho.

It’s not an either or choice. It’s better O with and without Rudy.

[levon]

The Wolves D is not a problem.

Gotta score some buckets now.

This isn't a Gobert series if you wanna score buckets. The Naz 5-out lineups give LA more trouble, although I think they're figuring things out there as well.

Gobert is +11 tho.

It’s not an either or choice. It’s better O with and without Rudy.

I just think paradoxically the Lakers defense is better suited to defend big non-shooting 5s than spacing lineups because while they play smallball, it's a big smallball, not a fast smallball. When you combine that with Rudy's lack of touch, LA just swarms and bodies him inside and gets a lot of morale and momentum from those stops. Much harder to stop 5 out and long rebounds going back to the Wolves for more opportunities.

[Calinks]

I am still confident the Wolves will take this series but the Lakers aren't pushovers. That said, I don't think the Lakers will go far (though they are capable of beating either Houston or GSW but it will be a battle either way). I don't think Laker fans should be too upset about that though, the one issue they have is Lebron's clock is ticking bou the franchise overall has a HUGE window now with Luka. This season was never meant to be a season where they win it all IMO. This is basically year zero of the new Lakers rebuild.

I feel somewhat similarly about Minnesota.I don't think the team as constructed is ready to make a huge splash but they are talented enough to get far (WCF). They still need a major piece, probably a good PG, before they can talk about contending. They also just mentally aren't where they need to be to compete for a chip but I don't think they are super far away.

[levon]

I am still confident the Wolves will take this series but the Lakers aren't pushovers. That said, I don't think the Lakers will go far (though they are capable of beating either Houston or GSW but it will be a battle either way). I don't think Laker fans should be too upset about that though, the one issue they have is Lebron's clock is ticking bou the franchise overall has a HUGE window now with Luka. This season was never meant to be a season where they win it all IMO. This is basically year zero of the new Lakers rebuild.

I feel somewhat similarly about Minnesota.I don't think the team as constructed is ready to make a huge splash but they are talented enough to get far (WCF). They still need a major piece, probably a good PG, before they can talk about contending. They also just mentally aren't where they need to be to compete for a chip but I don't think they are super far away.

This is about where I'm at too. Neither of these are true contenders yet. Wolves have a good window and great depth though. Ant clearly needs to mature to that tier 1 leader and star and it may take a few years.

[Beethoven]

Basketball gods don't look lightly on this kind of malicious action.

If that’s true Draymond would have zero titles. LOL

Now that we have proven that as false, the better team wins, without influences from gods, Wolves in Six!


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Pretty sure by "gods" he meant league executives, and by "malicious action" he meant being a Timberwolf.

Well, sure.. I guess. If you have that much of a low standard for this team and yourself in terms of sportsmanship and general human character. Then youre right.

[thinktank]

This isn't a Gobert series if you wanna score buckets. The Naz 5-out lineups give LA more trouble, although I think they're figuring things out there as well.

Gobert is +11 tho.

It’s not an either or choice. It’s better O with and without Rudy.

I just think paradoxically the Lakers defense is better suited to defend big non-shooting 5s than spacing lineups because while they play smallball, it's a big smallball, not a fast smallball. When you combine that with Rudy's lack of touch, LA just swarms and bodies him inside and gets a lot of morale and momentum from those stops. Much harder to stop 5 out and long rebounds going back to the Wolves for more opportunities.

That’s entirely possible.

Our best O lineups don’t include Gobert.

Our best D lineups do.

It’s on Finch to get a good mix. That’s the Rudy rub.

[littlerock2277]

Man Jaxson Hayes must really suck, if he is only playing 9 minutes as a starting center with no other center to compete with on the roster.