The Western Conference’s third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) will face the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. The two franchises have not met in the playoffs since a 2004 conference finals featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.
What we know about the Lakers
Oh, boy. Wait until you hear this one.
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The Lakers, boasting a 40-year-old LeBron James and the oft-injured Anthony Davis, were floundering. Their record said they were decent, though their net rating made other claims. Since winning a title in 2020, they had topped out in the 2023 Western Conference finals. They missed the playoffs entirely in 2022 and lost in the first round last season. They were bound for nowhere but another early playoff exit.
Enter the Dallas Mavericks, who made their 25-year-old superstar available to the Lakers at half the price. L.A. leapt at the chance to be a beneficiary of arguably the dumbest trade in NBA history, acquiring Luka Dončić for Davis, Max Christie and a single first-round draft pick. In an instant the Lakers had improved their chances for the next decade, though questions remained about the timeline for James and Dončić.
Their window to win together may be this season and this season only. Eventually this roster will be turned over entirely to Dončić, and it may be wiser to do so sooner than later. As it is the Lakers are a hastily constructed outfit around Dončić and James, which is one heck of a starting point. They have Austin Reaves, and the three of them form the basis for an offense that can create just about anything.
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There are Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent and a collection of increasingly less reliable options beyond the Lakers’ talented trio. They have no reliable center, and there are holes everywhere on defense, but they have Dončić, and with that they have a chance. Now and forever. Thank you, Dallas.
What we know about the Timberwolves
It has been a weird season for the Timberwolves, too. The defending Western Conference finalists made their trade in the preseason, swapping Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo from the New York Knicks in what can only be described as a cost-cutting move. The basketball was secondary.
And Minnesota played like it for the first several months of the season, taking a .500 record into January. Jaden McDaniels did not take another step forward as a developing wing. Rudy Gobert may have taken a step backward as a defensive anchor. And Randle played like Randle does, vacillating between brilliance and boneheadedness. It made for a slog of an offense and a defense that did not match last year’s level.
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But Anthony Edwards was mostly brilliant throughout the season, save for those double teams that gave him trouble. He scored a career-high 27.6 points per game on career-best efficiency (59.5 TS%), adding 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists a night often as the best player on the floor. The 23-year-old played well enough for long enough that he gave the rest of the team time to fall in line behind him. And that the Wolves did.
Only the Oklahoma City Thunder have a better record in the West than the Timberwolves (17-4) since March 1. In that span Minnesota owns the NBA’s second-rated offense (121.9 points per 100 possessions) and seventh-rated defense (110.7 points allowed per 100 possessions). DiVincenzo, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker give them depth other teams do not have, and, as long as Randle can harness all that power, the rest of the roster makes sense, too. It took time, but they found their way back to 49 wins.
Head-to-head
The Lakers and Timberwolves tied their regular-season series, 2-2.
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Davis and D’Angelo Russell, who the Lakers swapped for Finney-Smith in December, played major roles in the first three meetings, when the Wolves earned both of their wins. Minnesota did lose its only meeting against Dončić in L.A., though the Slovenian superstar did not play especially well (21 points on 20 shots).
While James scored 33 points in that final meeting, he was not sharp in either of his other showdowns with Minnesota (he missed one game to injury). Nor was Edwards great against the Lakers this season. He averaged just 19 points on 40% shooting in the four meetings. If we think this series’ stars will show out in the playoffs, we should take all four of these teams’ games this season with a hefty dose of salt.
Matchup to watch
Can the Lakers slow Anthony Edwards? (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Anthony Edwards vs. the Lakers’ weak link
It could be Dončić, who was attacked relentlessly in last season’s NBA Finals. It could be Reaves. It could be James, who at 40 years old is not the defensive stalwart he once was. Whoever Edwards decides is the weakest link on Los Angeles’ defense, he will attack nonstop, and he will have no shortage of soft targets.
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Conversely, if the Lakers can bottle up Edwards, prepare yourself for a hefty load of Randle, and that is no recipe for playoff success. Edwards will switch off of Finney-Smith and into more advantageous pick-and-roll matchups, where he nets 1.02 points per possession. Is that enough to counter the firepower of Dončić, James and Reaves? That will depend on how weak the Lakers’ weakest link is and whether or not Edwards can be as successful against it as the Lakers’ offensive trio will be against a stronger defense.
Crunch-time lineups
Los Angeles Lakers
We know for certain that Dončić, James, Reaves and Finney-Smith will be on the floor to close games for the Lakers. The fifth spot is up for grabs. Jaxson Hayes provides size. Hachimura is versatile. Vincent has playoff experience. Jarred Vanderbilt can defend. Lakers head coach JJ Redick will have options, even if none is the ideal fit. The Lakers’ lineup that has had the most success after the All-Star break: Dončić, James, Reaves, Finney-Smith and Hachimura (+15.3 points per 100 possessions in 100 minutes together).
Minnesota Timberwolves
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch also has options around Edwards and McDaniels on the wings. Reid should inevitably man the center position once Gobert is played off the floor in crunch time. That leaves two spots for Randle, DiVincenzo, Alexander-Walker and Conley. Would Finch have the guts — or the size or the requisite offensive creation — to bench Randle for big minutes? It may be a necessary decision.
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Prediction: Lakers in seven
Dončić owned the Timberwolves as a member of the Mavericks in last season’s Western Conference finals, and now he has James at his side. Together they can solve Minnesota’s defense. Barely.
Betting odds
Los Angeles Lakers (-200)
Minnesota Timberwolves (+165)
Series schedule (all times Eastern)
Game 1: Sat., April 19 @ Los Angeles (8:30 p.m., ABC)
Game 2: Tue., April 22 @ Los Angeles (10 p.m., TNT)
Game 3: Fri., April 25 @ Minnesota (9:30 p.m. ESPN)
Game 4: Sun., April 27 @ Minnesota (3:30 p.m., ABC)
*Game 5: Wed., April 30 @ Los Angeles (TBD)
*Game 6: Fri., May 2 @ Minnesota (TBD)
*Game 7: Sun., May 4 @ Los Angeles (TBD)
*if necessary
This news was originally published on this post .
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