Saturday night was one to forget for the Los Angeles Lakers.
In their 2025 playoff opener, the Lakers were run off the court at home by the Minnesota Timberwolves, falling 117-95 in front of a stunned crowd at Crypto.com Arena.
After a promising first quarter, Los Angeles unraveled, getting outscored by 18 in the second and never recovering.
LeBron James finished with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting, along with five rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes.
It wasn’t a disastrous performance—but it certainly wasn’t enough. Luka Doncic, acquired midseason in a blockbuster deal involving Anthony Davis, added 37 points of his own.
Still, the Lakers came up short—again.
“Maybe it took us one playoff game to now get a feel for it and know what type of intensity, the type of physicality is going to be brought to the game,” James said postgame. “But that’s just the way they play. So we should be more than prepared for that on Tuesday night.”
While the Lakers try to regroup, the internet is already running wild.
One post in particular is catching fire—and it’s not exactly flattering.
“Just so we are clear if LeBron loses with Luka the legacy takes a huge hit,” one fan posted on X.
It’s the kind of take that spreads quickly. Fair or not, many see this playoff run as a critical test for James’ legacy, especially now that he has Doncic alongside him.
The Lakers brought Doncic in to win now. If they can’t get past Round 1? Expect more tweets—and more scrutiny.
Tuesday night just got even bigger.
