Los Angeles Lakers was embarrassed by their home ground to start NBA playoffs on Saturday night when Minnesota Timberwolves beat them 117-95 in a game where starters didn’t even have to stay on the floor throughout the fourth quarter.
Lakers are No. 3 seeds in the western conference to begin these playoffs, but Timberwolves had their way on the offensive end to give them the only home team loss on opening night in the playoffs.
The poor performance got a lakers legend to try to light a fire under his former team.
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Minnesota Timberwolves Guard Anthony Edwards drive past Los Angeles Lakers Guard Austin Reaves at Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Concea-Published Pictures)
“Tonight was one of Laker’s worst performances this season,” Magic Johnson wrote at X. “They were flat, had no energy, and they played as if it were a regular seasonal match.”
Johnson wasn’t done there as he also pointed to a finger to head coach JJ Redick.
Are Lakers in trouble after their 22-point los to Timberwolves at home?
“Coach JJ Redick did a good job all season, but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1,” Johnson continued. “Lakers stood around on violation, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he did not make any necessary adjustments.”
If adjustments were made, they did not work against Minnesota’s offensive attacks that shot 51.2% off the field as a team and a full 50% beyond the arch.
Timberwolves rained triangles and went 21-for-42 with Big Man Naz Reid with the hot hand and buried six of his nine three-point attempts.
Minnesota Timberwolves Guard Anthony Edwards runs past Los Angeles Lakers Frem Rui Hachimura in Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Concea-Published Pictures)
Anthony Edwards, who was close to chopping a triple-double with 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, also hit four triangles despite a shaky excursion (8-for-22 shooting overall). Jaden McDaniels was extremely effective with a team high 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting with nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lakers fought throughout the game and shot 39.8% off the field. Luka Doncic was the exception, which went 12-for-22 from the field and 5-for-10 from three, for a game-high 37 points. LeBron James was 8-for-18, while Austin Reaves was only 5-for-13.
Los Angeles led after the first quarter, but Timberwolves got hot in the second and never looked back. At the end of the game, starters from both teams rested where Minnesota put it out of reach.
James spoke after the game where he recognized Timberwolves’ offensive power.
Magic Johnson speaks during a ceremony celebrating Michael Cooper’s induction in the Basketball Hall of Fame at the break of a game between Lakers and Denver Nuggets in Crypto.com Arena on April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
“They become physical,” he explained. “That’s what they bring to the table. It took us a game … (to) to understand it. They took advantage of home ground from us tonight, but we have to check the controls and if we do, we will have a much better chance of winning than we did tonight.”
Lakers and Timberwolves are back in action Tuesday for Game 2 of their first round matchup.
