Coming off a week-long rest and a solid 50-32 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were surprisingly run out of the arena by the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs in the first round. The Timberwolves ultimately spoiled Luka Doncic’s 37-point performance, cruising to a dominant 117-95 win.
Although it’s only the first game, the Purple and Gold will be looking to recover, as they try to reclaim the upper hand in this series. While the Timberwolves have already been dubbed as a tough first-round assignment, the Lakers still have the right tools to advance into the second round. For this piece, let’s take a look at the three reasons the Lakers will bounce back after Game 1 loss to Timberwolves.
It’s safe to say that LeBron James had an underwhelming start to open his 18th playoff appearance. While he still posted 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists, the Lakers needed more from The King. In fact, it marked the first time in his decorated career that James finished scoreless in the first quarter of a postseason game.
Historically, James’ teams haven’t done really well in the postseason when he isn’t aggressive. And the 2011 NBA Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks was a clear example. Fast forward to today with the Purple and Gold, even when he’s already 40 years old, it remains the same that the Lakers’ chances of winning exponentially increase when James controls the tempo, even with Luka in the fold.
Nonetheless, this is only the first game, coming off a weeklong rest. It’s almost a sure shot that James will bounce back and have a better showing in the upcoming games. Sure enough, the Los Angeles has already learned that Luka won’t be defeating the Timberwolves all by himself, and James is the best second option to supplant him.
One of the silver linings of the catastrophic Game 1 was that Luka and the Lakers exposed one of the Timberwolves’ glaring weaknesses: Rudy Gobert’s defense. Make no mistake — the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is a menace around the rim defensively. However, when he’s forced to play the perimeter to guard an ace like Luka, the Slovenian sensation shows that he’s easy to toy with.
Thanks to his high IQ, Luka exploited switches that forced the 7-foot-1 center to cover him. In fact, the very first play saw Gobert pick up his first foul, eventually finding himself to face foul trouble for the rest of the game. He finished the game with only two points and three personal fouls in 24 minutes of action.
While this has forced the team to lean on a much more effective Naz Reid, it doesn’t look like it doesn’t look like Minnesota will keep the French big man glued to the bench, especially with his size and potential impact. As a result, Los Angeles needs to take advantage of the mismatches whenever Gobert is on the floor.
There’s no question that the Timberwolves picked apart the Lakers with their physicality and Edwards’ facilitating. But after a 50-win season, coach J.J. Redick has showed to everyone that he’s simply one of the best tacticians who knows how to make adjustments. One adjustments he will probably make is to make the Lakers’ defenses dictate how Edwards will play.
In Game One, Edwards finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. While those 22 points were huge, it was the nine dimes that played a big part in killing the Lakers. The Purple and Gold’s chances of winning ultimately plummet when the Timberwolves star gets his teammates involved. As a result, Los Angeles will probably find ways to limit the Minnesota star to just a scorer who forces his shots. This is certainly easier said than done, but you can count on Redick to make it happen.
Another department that Redick needs to address is the Timberwolves’ hot three-point shooting. Minnesota relied on its outside shooting to sink the Lakers, converting 21-of-42 shots from beyond the arc. Reid led his team with six three-pointers. If the Lakers want to have a chance at winning, it’s going to take a more aggressive defense system to limit the Timberwolves. The first-year tactician will probably call on Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt to exert more effort to cover the perimeter.
Redick was one of the targets of critics after a disappointing playoff debut as a coach. As a result, it’s unlikely that the first-year head coach will sit still throughout the series
