LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic stormed onto the court like he had something to prove. By the end of the first quarter, he had already silenced the doubters. The 25-year-old scored 16 of his 31 points in a commanding opening spell, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 94–85 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and levelling their best-of-seven first-round playoff series at 1–1.
The crowd at Crypto.com Arena roared with each early basket as the Lakers made it clear they weren’t about to roll over again. Just three days earlier, they had been embarrassed by a 22-point loss in Game 1.
“We were there for 48 minutes,” Doncic said after the win. “We got up big in the first quarter, we learned from the last game, and we just stuck with it.”
The Lakers sprinted out to a 34–15 lead by the end of the first quarter. They shot 55 percent from the field during that opening stretch, compared to Minnesota’s 27.8 percent.
LeBron James backed Doncic with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Austin Reaves chipped in with 16, while Rui Hachimura, who briefly left the court after taking a blow to the face, returned to finish with 11 points—this time wearing a protective mask.
Head coach JJ Redick, who’s in his first playoff run on the sidelines, said the team’s energy and organisation made the difference.
“When we were in the right spots, we got some great looks,” Redick told reporters. “Other than a couple of messy plays, we ran solid offence.”
The Timberwolves were a shadow of the team that had dominated Game 1. Julius Randle put up 27 points and Anthony Edwards added 25, but their shooting collapsed. Minnesota made just five of their 25 three-point attempts—a season low—and finished with their fewest points in any game this year.
“It seemed like every time I caught the ball, they kind of collapsed in,” Edwards said. “It was confusing at times. But we’ll go back, watch film, and be ready.”
Jaden McDaniels, who scored a team-high 25 in the opener, managed only eight on Tuesday night.
Minnesota did make a push late in the third, trimming the lead to 62–51 with under eight minutes left in the quarter. But the Lakers answered with a 9–0 run to reassert control. The Wolves again closed the gap to nine points with just over two minutes to play—only for James to steal the ball and glide down the court for a layup that pushed the lead back to 11.
“We had some guys play well individually,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “But we didn’t connect the dots tonight. That’s what we’ve been doing so well. It was a super physical game.”
The series now heads to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. The Timberwolves have already beaten the Lakers twice at home this season. But if Tuesday night’s performance is anything to go by, this contest is far from over.
And Luka Doncic? He’s just getting started.
