The Los Angeles Lakers evened their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 94-85 victory on Wednesday night. It’s the series now tied 1-1, making way for a now pivotal Game 3. This was quite the bounceback performance from the Lakeshow after their awful outing in Boston just a few days ago. They constantly took advantage of fast-break opportunities and went after their foes with a vengeance.
LeBron James topped the Lakers with 21 points, making 8 of 19 shots from the floor. He logged 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Late in the game, one area of his skill set stood out most—his defense. He made a game-defining steal from Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and didn’t hesitate to turn it into a basket to ice the game for Los Angeles. “We knew we would be ready at practice yesterday,” James stated following the game, emphasizing the team’s commitment to improving after their Game 1 loss.
Soon enough, the Lakers’ resilience shone through, highlighted by an aggressive 9-0 spurt. This onrush enlarged their advantage to a dazzling 20 points at one time during the contest. For the most part, they showed a complete 180 from Game 1, when they were outscored 25-6 in fast break points. In Game 2, though, they busted this trend by beating the Timberwolves in transition and scoring a 13-6 fast-break scoring edge.
Austin Reaves was a huge part of the Lakers’ success with 16 points which he supplemented with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Most importantly, Rui Hachimura continued to be a difference maker, scoring 11 points while grabbing 5 rebounds and peaking with 2 steals. This individual and collective effort from these players helped carry the Lakers’ increased energy and execution as well as their depth.
For the T-Wolves, it was Luka Doncic who was just as impressive UNLIKE ON THIS SIDE OF THE COURT. He had 31 points and nine assists to boot! He put on a dazzling display that was the exact opposite of his drab performance in Game 1. In that game, he reached his career postseason low of one assist. Even with Doncic underway, the Timberwolves had a hard time getting their game going against a determined Lakers defense.
That was the same Timberwolves team that had established a franchise postseason record in Game 1 by going an incredible 21-42 from beyond the arc. In Game 2, they faced stiffer competition. The Lakers clamped down on their perimeter defense, making them a paltry 5-for-25 from three.
One highly controversial moment took place during the game. Former NBA player JJ Redick raced onto the court and called a timeout before Doncic could inbound the ball along the sideline. It was a rare and unexpected interruption that provided an unusual twist to an intense rivalry matchup.
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