Anthony Edwards spoke of the trash to Luka Dončić before Tuesday match 2, but the Los Angeles Lakers superstar had the last laugh.
Dončić led the Lakers to a 94-85 victory over the Edwards minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday in Crypto.com Arena for even their series of eliminations of the West Conference in One Game each.
While Minnesota obtained a split in the first two competitions and stole the advantage of the court, Dončić made sure that it was not an advance of 2-0 behind 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a spectacular performance.
LeBron James filled the statistics sheet to support 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Edwards (25 points and six rebounds) and Julius Randle (27 points and six assists) paved the way on the other side.
However, Dončić attracted the most attention to social media:
For all discussions on James and Dončić twins before the playoffs, it was the Timberwolves who checked the whole match 1 on the path of a shocking eruption. And Tuesday marked a golden opportunity to put purple and gold on Sweep Watch with another victory on the road before the series moves towards Minnesota.
Los Angeles felt the urgency and reacted rightly outside the doors.
He jumped in a 19 -point lead during the first quarter, Dončić taking fire and Gabe Vincent providing the exclamation mark on his own late triple out of the bench.
Dončić was ahead of Minnesota in the first quarter, which made Edwards’ decision to speak to him all the more doubtful. At the credit of the Timberwolves star, he did what he could to cut in the deficit and even unleashed a monster jam on Jaxson Hayes.
But Dončić was there with an apparently response every time the Minnesota was making a little race.
The quintuple All-Star mixed in breathtaking passes and timely baskets to stifle the momentum of visitors. Add his ability to go to the free throw line to settle things, and everything was a climb for the Timberwolves.
Minnesota has reduced the deficit to several figures several times in the fourth quarter, but it has never overcome the bump in this difficult battle.
James made several major games in the last minutes, including a flight on Edwards, and has frozen a victory that was never really in doubt. But his Lakers will have to find a way to win a game on the road to pass beyond the first round, while the series travels to Minnesota for match 3 of Friday.
