The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their regular season on Sunday with a 50–32 record, securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
With the playoff matchups now set, the Lakers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 on Saturday night. The game will mark Luka Doncic’s first playoff appearance since last season’s NBA Finals run with the Dallas Mavericks—and his first postseason game as a Laker.
Ahead of the playoffs, the NBA released some surprising regular season data, revealing that both LeBron James and Doncic ranked in the top three for most-viewed players across social media. James claimed the No. 1 spot at age 40, followed by Stephen Curry at No. 2, and Doncic at No. 3. James racked up a total of 3.23 billion views, while Doncic had 1.82 billion
Interestingly, Doncic’s Lakers jersey was the top-selling jersey in the league during the second half of the season, with James ranking third—highlighting both players’ massive popularity heading into the postseason.
Just a week before the trade deadline, the Mavericks made a stunning move by trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. The blockbuster deal sent shockwaves through the sports world—so much so that many initially believed it was fake. But it was very real.
This past week, Doncic returned to Dallas for the first time since the trade. The crowd welcomed him back with emotion and appreciation, but he responded with a dominant performance, dropping 45 points on his former team as the Lakers cruised to a double-digit win.
Now, with every playoff team back to 0-0, the pressure starts to mount. The Lakers will open their postseason against the Minnesota Timberwolves, led by rising star Anthony Edwards, who’s looking to lead his squad to a first-round upset.
