The Luka Doncic era got off to a bumpy postseason start for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they dropped Game 1 of their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 117-95. Doncic put on a master class performance, scoring 37 points and grabbing eight boards, but it wasn’t enough.
Minnesota absolutely destroyed the Lakers in transition, and after a solid start to the contest, LA wasn’t able to keep up with the Wolves’ level of physicality, either. All in all, it was a tough showing for the Lakers, who were out-matched by the Wolves in a lot of different areas throughout the night.
After the game, JJ Redick let his thoughts flow.
JJ Redick says Lakers defense wasn't physically ready
When asked about the Lakers’ lack of effort in the middle of the game, Redick explained the issue from his point of view.
“They’re a great opponent. They’re one of the best teams in basketball,” Redick said. “There’s, I think, it’s not to say our guys weren’t ready to withstand a playoff-level basketball game. We were mentally ready. I thought our spirit was right. I thought, even when they made runs, our huddles were great. The communication was great. I'm not sure, physically, we were ready, if that makes sense.
“And really, when they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, we just didn’t respond immediately to that. And then that stretch from the start of the second through four, five minutes to go in the third, we lost that stretch by 34. So, that’s a blowout.”
"I'm not sure, physically, we were ready"
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 20, 2025
Lakers HC JJ Redick on Game 1 against Minnesota pic.twitter.com/TAmpzEQo39
The Lakers were up by as many as eight points in the first quarter, but as the second quarter got going, the Wolves surged ahead, and LA was completely unable to keep up.
Anthony Edwards did his thing, but that’s to be expected. The real damage was done by Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels scored 25 points and Reid had 23 off the bench. While Reid did most of his damage outside the three-point line, McDaniels saw a ton of success getting inside and breaking down the Lakers’ (oft-centerless) defense.
LA’s lack of offense outside of Doncic was certainly a major issue, but as Redick pointed out, the 34-point deficit in their middle-of-the-game stretch was a matter of their failure to respond to Minnesota’s own offensive attack with the same level of physicality their opponent was putting forward.
The Wolves finished the game with 44 points in the paint and 25 fast-break points. If the Lakers want to bounce back in the series, their defense needs to be much, much better. And Redick knows it.