The NBA Playoffs are all about matchups, mismatches, and game plans—teams constantly look for ways to attack their opponents’ weaknesses. But sometimes, it’s the smaller factors that can tip the scales in a playoff series—things like travel and time zones.
The Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) secured the No. 3 seed and will face the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves (49–33) in the first round of the playoffs. It’s a highly anticipated series, as it marks Luka Doncic’s first postseason appearance as a Laker.
With so much attention paid to this matchup, fans analyze every possible advantage. One underrated factor? The travel between Los Angeles and Minnesota.
“I think [travel] is a factor in this series,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic said on a recent podcast. “It’s not the easiest flight, it’s not the hardest flight either, but you are flying to pass the midway point of the country or flying back past over half the country to get to LA
That’s going to be a factor for both teams,” Buha continued. “Now, obviously, it’s going to affect Minnesota. They have to make the trip out to LA. I would assume that they’re gonna be flying in probably midweek or at least before Friday. I would assume they’re in LA by at least Thursday just to get adjusted to Pacific time, and you need a couple of days to prepare and get mentally right.
“I think it’s going to be a bit of a factor,” the LA beat writer reiterated. “It’s certainly more of a factor than LA-San Francisco, LA-Portland, LA-Denver, or LA-Phoenix. Those are all much more manageable travel situations compared to LA-Minnesota.”
The flight from Los Angeles to Minnesota takes about 3.5 hours, and there’s a two-hour time difference between the cities. That may not seem like much, but even minor disruptions can matter in the context of a playoff series.
Game 1 of the series will be played at Crypto.com Arena on either April 19 or 20.
Very difficult opponent,” coach JJ Redick said of the Timberwolves. “They’ve played as well as anyone lately. They’re one of 4 teams in the Top 10 in offense and defense, so they present a lot of problems.”
