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5 reasons why Wolves can sustain high-level play from Game 1 against Lakers

Minnesota revealed a lot it can replicate in its statement Game 1 victory Saturday night.
Nolan O'Hara|
Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith defends Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA Western Conference first-round series at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on April 19, 2025.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith defends Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA Western Conference first-round series at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on April 19, 2025. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have once again taken the NBA by storm with their statement 117-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

It should come as no surprise considering what the Timberwolves did in the first round to the Phoenix Suns last season, which they followed with an impressive semifinal series win over the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets. Nevertheless, the Lakers came in as the betting favorite and an overwhelming favorite among national pundits; ESPN's Shannon Sharpe got the phrase "Lakers in 5" as a popular rallying cry, and a 10-member ESPN panel unanimously picked L.A. to win the series.

Related: Wolves-Lakers series predictions from the Timberwolves On SI staff

The Wolves didn't care, crushing the Lakers in L.A. But many of the same pundits — and NBA fans alike — question whether Minnesota's Game 1 excellence is sustainable. The doubters point to the Wolves' hot 3-point shooting and big performances from players not named Anthony Edwards as elements not repeatable in the best-of-seven series.

However, there's more reason to believe Game 1 wasn't a fluke and revealed things the Wolves can repeat on a high level. Here are five reasons why Minnesota can sustain its level of play throughout the duration of the series against the Lakers:

Hot shooting or taking what you're getting?

Much of the immediate reaction from Minnesota's detractors: The Wolves won't shoot 50% from 3-point range again. Yes, Minnesota was 21 for 42 from 3, and shooting at that clip doesn't happen often, and almost certainly results in victory.

But looking beyond the box score, that shooting split isn't as unprecedented as it appears on paper. Of the 42 attempts from downtown, 27 were considered "wide open," where the nearest defender contesting the shot is six-plus feet away from the shooter. The remaining 15 were "open," where the nearest defender contesting the shot is four-to-six feet away.

That was a result of the attention the Lakers committed to Edwards, who navigated the game in excellent fashion and regularly made the right read to an open teammate. While the Wolves may not shoot 50% from 3 every night, Edwards is surrounded by effective shooters — Naz Reid, Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo all shoot around a 40% clip from deep. The Lakers can pick their poison: Take away Edwards and let that quartet get open shots, or defend Edwards more honest. But everyone knows what Edwards is capable of when he can attack the rim with regularity.

Performances from Reid, McDaniels hardly an anomaly

Jaden McDaniels scored a game-high 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting, including 3 for 3 from downtown, Saturday night, while Reid scored 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 6 of 9 from downtown. The sentiment from those who favor the Lakers is that duo had legacy performances they won't soon be able to replicate. Nineteen for 25 is insane efficiency.

On the one hand, McDaniels did outperform his season averages of 12.2 points per game and 33% shooting from 3-point range. On the other hand, he's shown the ability to ascend as a scorer when needed — he averaged 18.5 points per game in February when DiVincenzo, Conley, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert missed time due to injury. And on Saturday, all three of his attempts from 3 were "wide open." Scoring 25 points in a playoff game also isn't something McDaniels hasn't done before — his 25-point performance in Game 2 against the Suns in last year's first-round series can't be forgotten already.

The 23-point game from Reid was the 20th time this season he's scored 20 or more points. He shot 38% from 3-point range on the season, and eight of his nine attempts from downtown were "wide open." Is it really a stretch for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and good shooter to make wide-open 3s and score 20-plus, something he's routinely done all year?

Again, on paper it might appear McDaniels and Reid overperformed, and it's not likely that duo will shoot 19 for 25 from the field every night. But that was more a reflection of what the Lakers gave them, rather than some sort of anomaly.

Preferable personnel

The Wolves just might be built to defend the Lakers. In addition to being able to step up as a scorer, McDaniels is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and his length and movement match up well against Luka Doncic. Randle has the size to cut off LeBron James' driving lanes. Edwards is great on the ball and defended both James and Austin Reaves well.

Off the bench, the Wolves have DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker, two additional point-of-attack defenders to throw at Doncic and Reaves. And as the anchor, Minnesota has Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, to defend the rim and provide them a major size advantage. The Wolves have the right defensive personnel to throw at the Lakers, while Los Angeles has no one to defend Edwards 1-on-1 and no size to match up with the likes of Gobert, Randle and Reid.

Size and physicality

Lakers coach J.J. Redick noted after Game 1 that his team wasn't ready for the physicality the Wolves threw at them. That physicality isn't going to lessen throughout the series, and it doesn't appear to be something L.A. will be able to match, particularly with Minnesota's massive size advantage. The Lakers can't suddenly get bigger, after all, and more physicality only benefits a Wolves team that features McDaniels, Edwards, Randle, Gobert and Co. That's how they prefer to play.

Not at their best

As well as Game 1 went for the Timberwolves, they were far from their best Saturday night. Minnesota got off to a lousy start, turning it over four times in the opening minutes and giving up five offensive rebounds that the Lakers turned into 11 second-chance points. Doncic, meanwhile, lit the Wolves on fire, much like he did with the Dallas Mavericks last year.

That sloppy play from the Wolves and offensive rebounding from the Lakers won't happen every night, and the lousy start ultimately didn't matter. And neither did underwhelming performances from Randle and Gobert. To his credit, Randle did provide an impressive defensive performance on James. But he also had seven turnovers, one more than his made shots.

Gobert was limited by foul trouble early and only took two shots — his only points of the game came on a lob from Randle. Still, Gobert contested 10 shots and had an impressive block of James in his 24 minutes. Randle and Gobert are two of Minnesota's most important players, and both had their share of struggles in Game 1. Maybe the Wolves don't make 21 3s in Game 2, but it's not likely Randle will have more turnovers than made shots and Gobert gets just two shots, either.

The Wolves did what they did Saturday despite lackluster performances from two of their best players. That's not likely to continue for the duration of the best-of-seven series, and there's plenty Minnesota can improve on heading into Game 2.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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