LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers fought back to even their first-round series with the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 94-85 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
LeBron James scored 21 points and Austin Reaves added 16 for the third-seeded Lakers, who rebounded from their blowout loss in Game 1 by jumping out to an early 22-point lead and hanging on through a physical matchup with sixth-seeded Minnesota.
Julius Randle scored 27 points and Anthony Edwards had 25 for the Timberwolves, who lost most of their offensive fluidity from their impressive series-opening win.
James added 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers, who never lost control of a chippy, choppy game with 46 combined personal fouls and multiple video reviews. James and Rui Hachimura both took hard shots to the face, and Hachimura played the second half in a mask.
The Wolves hit a franchise-record 21 3-pointers while blowing out the Lakers 117-95 in Game 1 despite 37 points by Doncic. Los Angeles responded with more engaged defense and another big game from Doncic, while the Wolves couldn’t recapture their offensive fluidity until the fourth quarter.
