Los Angeles – Los Angeles Lakers look alike for a quarter.
Luka Dončić tackled the Minnesota Timberwolves in Pick-And-Rolls. When the Timberwolves sent additional help against him or shot on discs, the Lakers moved the ball for the opening of the 3. They beat the wolves on balls and exploited the failures. Their defense has turned and invaded, Mural Anthony Edwards of painting and the embossed defensive rebounds.
But after taking an advance of 28-21 entering the second quarter, the Lakers collapsed. The Wolves forced them 96-67 the rest of the path-including a section of 67-33 in the middle of the game-on the way to a discouraging defeat of 117-95 in match 1 of their series of series of eliminations at Crypto.com Arena.
After a week and more gossip that the Lakers are the favorites of the series, the Wolves stole the advantage of the field and overthrow the erroneous notion that they are important outsiders on his head.
“They are one of the best basketball teams,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick. “This does not mean that our guys were not ready to resist a basketball match in terms of the playoffs. We were mentally ready. I thought our mind was right. I thought even when they were shopping, our stories were great. Communication was great.
“I am not sure that we were physically ready, if it makes sense. And really, when they started playing with a lot of push and physics, we just didn’t respond to meet. ”
Lakers, as Dončić said, “let go of the rope” in the last 36 minutes while the Wolves dominated them carefully on both sides of the ball.
Dončić finished with 37 points – Minnesota has no answer for his score – but had only one pass and five reversals. LeBron James finished with 19 out of 8 points from the 18 shots. He became aimlessly at the first quarter for the first time in his career in the playoffs and was blocked and stripped several times when he was fighting to attack the greats of the Wolves out of the dribble. Austin Reave’s first half was one of its worst halves of the season. He settled for far too many riders disputed against the fur of the wolf perimeter arms.
“Obviously, we have to do a better job to control controls,” said James. “And I don’t think we did a job enough after the first quarter.”
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No other Lakers player has marked two figures. Rui Hachimura disappeared after being involved early. Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt combined eight points on the 3 by 11 shot. Jaxson Hayes had one point in eight minutes while Redick decided to reduce size and play basketball without center during most of the match.
Minnesota finally found the cracks in the defense of the Lakers, Edwards taking exactly what the Lakers have given it and doing a lot of simple but effective readings. He finished with 22 points (on 22 shots) and collected nine assists for a single turnover.
The Wolves fired 21 out of 42 out of 3s, generating a series of open looks with the Lakers focused on the way of trying to limit the penetration of Edwards. Jaden McDaniels (25 points) did 3s, attacked the fences and controlled the wings of the Lakers. Naz Reid (23 points) changed the situation on the bench and an antidote to the test of inadequacy at the heavy offensive of the Lakers.
Minnesota has ahead of Transition 25-6, in second chance points 23-20, outside the reversals 18-9 and in painting 44-32. It was a versatile beating.
“They did everything we wanted to do,” said Reaves.
And by putting aside the tactical and schematic components of the match for a while, there was also simply the physical element: the wolves are larger, faster and stronger than the Lakers. The physical advantages were clear in the series, but they were even more blatant once the two parties accumulate.
The Lakers had recently succeeded against larger teams like Oklahoma City, Houston, Memphis and Dallas, but it was obvious that the size and ferocity of Minnesota disturbed the pace of the Lakers.
“I think they just defeated us physically from the start,” said Reaves.
There are obvious adjustments for the Lakers entering the match 2 of Tuesday.
They must be more offensively organized, races and more coherent actions than isolation and hunting for inadequacy. They should refrain from targeting the big wolves and going to the place after the 6 feet 1 inch of Conley, which the Minnesota tried to keep out of the actions. James and Dončić can also target Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Divincenzo, given the waist gap.
Defensively, the Lakers should also consider playing EDWARDS directly – even if it burns them – and stop helping the minnesota support distribution as aggressively. They could also consider playing Hayes and Vanderbilt, two of their best athletes and the biggest rotation players, more than 22 minutes combined, despite the concerns of spacing that accompany both. Lakers need an energy shock, which Vanderbilt provided during their 17-6 race to close the third quarter which briefly rendered the match interesting in the second period.
But above all, they must play with a greater sense of urgency – the game 2 is a must for them, after all – and a competitive pride. They may not be able to match Minnesota from the point of view of physics, but they at least need to try.
“I think we have to be the attacker,” said Vanderbilt. “I have the impression that they hit us first. And they were the most physical team for the majority of the game.… These are the playoffs, the man. We were able to play hard. I think they beat us all 50-50 offensive bullets and rebounds, cowardly bullets.
James, who has played in more playoffs and more games 1 than any player in the history of the NBA, is known to treat match 1 as a sensation game. Dončić, who led the Outsiders teams to the conference final and the NBA final, is now 2-7 in match 1 (his teams are 1-1 in the victory of matches 1 and 3-3 when they lose match 1). Neither was shaken after the match, referring to the wisdom they learned throughout the playoffs.
Lakers should better go forward. It is difficult for them to play worse. It was probably the best Wolves shooting performance in the series. McDaniels and Reid is unlikely to combine again for 48 points. Match 2 should be closer.
But that does not facilitate the road for Lakers. They will have to overcome the imposing physical challenges that they have not yet found. They scored less than 100 points nine times this season – and three of them have now come against the Wolves.
The size, length and athletics of Minnesota disturb the slower methodical trends of the. And the following 60 hours will be to determine how to better attenuate this disadvantage before it is too late.
“Maybe it took us an eliminatory match to now have an idea of this and know what type of intensity, the type of physicity will be brought to the game,” said James. “But that’s just the way they play. So we should be more than prepared for this on Tuesday evening.”
(Photo by LeBron James: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
