News Sports April 20, 2025 0 Comments

NBA Playoffs 2025: Los Angeles Lakers Vs Minnesota Timberwolves & What Is The Heat

Los Angeles extra possessions to start this game. Doncic sees two, pardon me. That was Anthony Edwards saw two, got through the lane. Austin Reeves had that shot right at the beginning, but so smart, taking it into the middle of the lane, drawn two and kicking it. And Randle. Doncic off the dribble, handoff. Vinnie Smith checked into the ballgame.

Luka is on one right now to start this game. Hachimura from deep. Laces it. Another offensive rebound. One of only four teams. And you’re talking about OKC, Boston, and Cleveland as the other three. All 60-win teams as McDaniels hits the wing three to make it a five-point lead for the Lakers. Defense against the Lakers has been pretty good to start, but they’ve given up so many offensive rebounds. Dodger just locked in.

We’re on a fish grease alert right now. He’s up to 12 already here in the first quarter. Using him as a screener, then he just pops right back out. Nas Reed with a classy move to the basket. Devin Chinza with a rebound. Edwards running the lane in full flight. Raises up and lays it home. That time they finished, Jay. Well, that’s how he can get going a little bit. Finch makes the call offensively.

Edward steps through and lays it home on the floater just parked in the corner for a step in three There’s Randall cross-court to Alexander Walker from deep. He’s been shooting it at over 40% this year So you have to take away his left but catch-and-shoot opportunities.

He knocks down those open ones inside Vando Got his own miss Vanderbilt back out to finish Smith open from deep right here in Los Angeles for the first round presented, the head coach of the T-Wolves. What did you make of that first quarter for your squad? Yeah, too many second chance points.

I think they had 11 of them. That’s really where they got a bunch of their cheap threes. And, you know, we did a good job in the first shot defense. Got to take care of that. Doncic, 16 in that first quarter. How do you try to limit his effectiveness? Yeah, we’re going to throw different things at him. But, you know, again, we got to take care of the glass when we make them.

It’s interesting that LeBron, for the first time in a playoff game, did not score in the first quarter. Boy, what a game. A little bit earlier between the Clippers and the Nuggets. Reeves on the drive. Little giant killer, giant slayer over McDaniels. And speaking of drives, Alexander Walker into Randle. Ten on the shot clock. Back out to Reed for three for the lead.

Got it. And Minnesota has stormed back here in the early portion of the second quarter. Dunks this year For the Lakers, but it gives them a little more rim protection with him in there. McDaniels left that short, got it back, and laid it in over Hachimura. Both freshmen together playing for Mike Hopkins is now with the Phoenix Sun James spins, fires, got it, and one. LeBron James on the board.

NBA playoffs 2025

Good defense by DiVincenzo, Alexander Walker on the fly, James packed up! He knew that all the way, timed that out perfectly. Sees two, good nail held by LeBron, raises up anyway and it comes off. Back out to Reid for three, and Nas Reid laces the deep one. And Gobert got the block on James. Off and running again, a three-on-two.

Reid out to the three-point line. Splashdown! Timeout Lakers! Here’s Edwards with six points in the ballgame. Here’s the king with the ball. James out front against Reed. A long two is good. James with a rebound. Another opportunity for Los Angeles. 10 on the shot clock. Vinnie Smith. Back to James It was the inbounder. Even Chinzo.

Here he is off the wide action and DiVincenzo pulls it and laces the deep three. Dante with some dynamite to end the first half. And they outscored the Lakers 20 to 10 in the paint and really shut off the offensive glass in that second quarter where they outscored LA by 18. Edwards sprays it out to McDaniels. The corner three is pure.

Shot clock down to five. Edwards got to get busy, got downhill. Floater comes off, got it back. Randall from deep, and they cash in on a second opportunity. Reeves was one of six in that first half. Minnesota went after him on the defensive end.

Edwards, it’s butter Minnesota on a roll. They didn’t score any fast break points in that first half, as you mentioned, Jay, and that they need to get back to being the aggressors. We’ve seen that certainly carry on here as LeBron James nails a three-pointer from the corner.

Last time these two teams met, ironically, in the conference finals. Rudy Gobert converting on the high handoff. Back out to Edwards, one more to Randall got Luca in the air. Float game, comes out, got it back. Randall and one. Julius Randall putting some muscle in his hustle. It takes some time after a trade for everybody to get used to one another.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

They turn over Doncic. Connolly pulls the three, and it’s all coming up good for the Timberwolves. Two on the shot clock. Hachimura has to pull, and that’s a great stop for Minnesota. About as tough a two as you’re going to take. Off the dribble, three. Anthony Edwards hotter than fish grease. Doncic looking for the post up, and Reeves almost threw it away. He does. McDaniels.

And Minnesota has numbers. McDaniels onto the corner. Edwards sets his feet. Wet. That thing splashes again. He had been just two of 19 from three in April. Found his groove at the right time. So did this guy.

They just did here’s James Puts his shoulder down put his head down got the lay Minnesota just playing five out and Austin Reed went for another shopping got an easy one there somebody the snooze button defensively for, Minnesota Lead back up to 19 Donchik has to work expeditiously and off glass at the buzzer! rippling for the Timberwolves.

Randall gonna do a little bit more heavy lifting at that end of the floor. Knocks down the midi Luka trying to press up on Ant. With pristine, pulchritudinous footwork. Edwards knocks down the MIDI it looked like it was gonna be a little cross screen and then down screen for the screener, But he cut it short to get that three.

Edwards off the bounce, spins, back out to a wide-open Randall cash out. Got his air fryer out, ready to cook, Ant-Man. Gets it back, pulls the three, and it’s wet. And some of the best basketball of the season. Towards the end of the year James drives the clothes out and punches at home Lakers now looking like a little 2-3 zone.

They did a lot of that against Oklahoma City McDaniels attacks it got the short midi Edwards Hachimura Edwards with the tween Over to Reid, catch and shoot three on the way, and he laces another one. Wow, and a little room service off the careless pass. DiVincenzo flying charter. And the lead balloons back to 111 to 90. LeBron comes with the double and held. Good catch by McDaniels.

Little sidestep, little afro step into the paint. They’re outstanding defensively. The problem for Orlando is they haven’t been able to score efficiently. They really struggle at that end of the floor a lot of times as Dalton connects. And for Minnesota, who only finished one game off of the Lakers, I mean, they had 49 wins on the season. But they finished the year 17-4. And when healthy, they’ve been as good as anybody. Yeah. This is a remarkable basketball game. Minnesota takes game one.