Lakers bounce back in Game 2

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back and won Game 2 of their best-of-seven first-round series over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Winning Game 2 was a huge win as the playoff series is now tied at one apiece.

This victory was facilitated by a much-improved defensive effort by the Lakers. Star player Luka Doncic did his part by controlling the offense. On the other side of the ball, the Lakers locked up Minnesota with physical play and stingy defense. 

“We were physical,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “The playoffs require a different level. Like I said pregame, it took us about two-and-a-half quarters in Game 1 to get to that level of physicality.”

Doncic put on another great performance in Game 2 as he continues to be a problem for the Timberwolves. Doncic finished the game with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists in the Lakers’ 94-85 win at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. This was a typical Doncic performance where he was able to score while also being able to get teammates involved. 

“They have a great team, so at some point they were going to make a run,” Doncic said. “[It’s] just a matter of how we respond by being who we are. I think we responded very well. To win a game, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter is not easy. It was from defense and then going from there.”

By attacking the paint more, it allowed for back-door cuts, open shots, and just more movement. Doncic was able to attack more in the paint to create such opportunities. Game 1 saw Doncic have a big scoring night, but the rest of the team did not have a flow. It was a much better balance compared to the Lakers’ Game 1 loss, where Doncic only had one assist.

While Doncic dominated the game, what helped the Lakers secure the win was the team’s effort on the defensive side of the ball. The Lakers were more physical and brought intensity on defense.

“We didn’t really change much, it was just a question of whether we were going to be more physical or not and I think we showed that and learned from the last game,” said Doncic.

Game 2 and Game 1 are polar opposites compared to the Lakers’ consistent effort of defense and physicality. In Game 1, the Lakers did not match the physical play of the Timberwolves and played bad defense. The Timberwolves made 21 threes out of 42, shooting 50 percent from three-point range shows a lack of effort defensively.

Following that up in Game 2, the Timberwolves only made five total three-point shots on 25 attempts. LeBron James said the Lakers had to get after it in Game 2, something they didn’t do in Game 1. 

“We knew yesterday at practice,” James said. “We had a tough practice yesterday. We went at it yesterday, and [it was] one of the best practices we had all year. We kind of knew coming out of that with this position. We had to watch film before practice, and it wasn’t good, and form was not good at all, so we’re all competitors and that’s what we want to do.”

Minnesota is an excellent defensive team. They are also extremely physical. To win the series,  the Lakers have to match the intensity and physical play of the Timberwolves in every game of this playoff series, not just in one contest. Game 2 was a great way to respond to a bad loss in Game 1 by the Lakers.

The Lakers held the Timberwolves to under 100 points compared to the 117 points they surrendered in Game 1.

“I just thought we played hard. I spoke about how they played every single game, regular season and postseason,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. “They play hard as [expletive], and if you do not meet that physicality with physicality, you seen the result, so that was emphasis going into the night was to play hard.”

The series is now tied at 1-1, going to Minnesota. Doncic and the Lakers must continue what they built upon from Game 2. The Timberwolves, however, will have something to say about that. 

“I just think we were stagnant,” Minnesota forward Julius Randle said. “We missed some good looks, some open layups. And then Luka [Doncic] got off to another hot start. He got some early free throws. I think he had eight free throws early, so he got off to a hot start, and they were just in a rhythm in that first quarter. They scored 94 points for the game, but they had 34 in the first quarter. So that means, after that, we held them at 20 a quarter, which is who we are as a team. We just gotta get off to a better start.”

This article appears courtesy of The Bulletin

Featured Image: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) has hit another milestone during his NBA career. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/The Bulletin