3 Things to Watch for in Lakers vs Timberwolves Game 3

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves for the third time in what has been at times an inscrutable first-round playoff series matchup.

Minnesota absolutely dominated L.A. in Game 1, winning 117-95 at Crypto.com Arena to steal homecourt advantage — despite a 37-point night out of superstar Luka Doncic.

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Now, with the series knotted 1-1, the action pivots to Minnesota, where Anthony Edwards will no doubt seek to put on a show.

Here's what to look out for in Game 3.

1. LeBron James' Deference On Offense

James did record a near triple-double in the Lakers' 94-85 Game 2 victory Tuesday, notching 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Luka Doncic again led the way, this time logging a near triple-double of his own, with 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Final Stats 📊

Luka: 31 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast,
Bron: 21 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast
AR: 16 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast
Rui: 11 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl pic.twitter.com/jRQc66Ase5
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 23, 2025

James, 40, is averaging "just" 20.0 points on .432/.200/1.000 shooting splits — totally respectable scoring numbers for mere mortals (outside of that 3-point shooting, on 5.0 attempts no less), but that output would represent the lowest of his career. Still, he's also logging averages of 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals a night.

With five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic now in the fold, James finally gets to take a bit of a step back on offense, for perhaps the first time since his first season alongside Hall of Fame shooting guard Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat, 2010-11.

Even when playing alongside a prime Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, James was always the propulsive driving force of his teams' offenses. It seems now he is trying to adjust to life playing second fiddle to Doncic. After an extremely tenuous first quarter of action, the 6-foot-9 vet has been looking for his shot more, but he could still stand to drive to the rack more frequently.

Playing in hostile territory on Friday, look for James to do just that.

2. Luka Doncic's Scoring

Through his first two playoff bouts as a Laker, Doncic is currently averaging 34.0 points on .500/.389/.950 shooting splits, 10.0 boards, 5.0 dimes, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.

Despite standing at a burly 6-foot-6, the slow-footed Doncic has never exactly been a defensive stopper. His issues there could be exposed more playing on the road.

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Referees may also have a quicker whistle for the 26-year-old Slovenian superstar. All told, as James steps up as a scorer, it's possible Doncic will face something of a regression.

Everyone, aside from Doncic, has been fairly inconsistent on offense. Through their first two games, the Lakers have connected on a decent 42.4 of their field goals, albeit a poor 30.0 percent from three. That said, the Lakers are making an excellent 94.4 percent of their 18.0 free throw tries a night.

3. Jaxson Hayes' Role

Los Angeles' starting center by default, Hayes has proven ill-suited to a big playoff role thus far.

The 7-footer out of Texas is averaging just 9.0 minutes of action so far in the series, and has been played off the court by Minnesota's more skilled big men.

Head coach JJ Redick has opted for a small-ball lineup for much of both games without a traditional center on the hardwood, with 6-foot-7 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith taking on a lot of those minutes. It makes the club vulnerable in the post defensively. Hayes can protect the rim, but he's fairly raw.

The Lakers' defensive strategy was effective on Tuesday. Can L.A. win a second straight game and take some control of this series on Friday?

Hayes, 24, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. How the rest of the playoffs go could impact his future in town.

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