What We Learned About the Minnesota Timberwolves in Ugly Game Two Loss vs Lakers

By    |  
Updated:
Follow Us
Luka Doncic - NBA Playoffs - Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers
Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves walked into Los Angeles and took game one of their first round playoff series vs the Lakers, as if they were Bonnie and Clyde walking into a Midwest bank in the 1930s. It was brutal, but done with class. And everyone left the crime scene in shock… except the assailants.

But if that’s the analogy for game one, then game two would be equal to what happened the day Bonnie & Clyde’s run of terror finally ended. If you don’t know, let’s just say… it wasn’t pretty. And if you’re a Wolves fan who stayed up for game two late Tuesday night, the TV got difficult to watch at times.

What We Learned – Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers (Gm 2)

Rudy Gobert - NBA Playoffs - Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers
Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Not only were the Los Angeles Lakers better than the Minnesota Timberwolves in every facet of game two, especially in the first half, but they had some help from their referee friends too. Hindsight being 20/20, the Wolves — who eventually fell 94-85 — never stood a chance.

So, while the Wolves board their charter plane for an early morning flight back to Minneapolis, we’ll talk about what we learned during Tuesday night’s ugly game two loss.

Timberwolves were not ready for Lakers intensity to start game 2

The Lakers entered game two looking to set the tone early, which they certainly did. Right from tipoff, LeBron and the boys brought a different level of focus and intensity, ratcheting up their defense and pushing the pace on offense. And the Wolves weren’t ready, for whatever reason.

It’s rare we see these Wolves lose a game in the first quarter. No matter how far they fall behind, it’s tough to hold down a 2nd apron luxury taxed roster anchored by a superstar like Anthony Edwards. But in game two, the Lakers came out with one mission. Kill the Minnesota Timberwolves and do it as quickly as possible.

After the Wolves took a 4-2 lead with 9:42 remaining in the 1st quarter, LA launched an 11-1 run, making the score 13-5. Two and a half minutes later, it was 20-8… then 25-10… 30-13. Finally, the first quarter onslaught ended with the Los Angeles Lakers up 34-15.

From that point forward, no matter what the Minnesota Timberwolves did, they could not recover from LA’s opening bell haymaker, which nearly knocked them out cold all by itself. Of course, the Lakers got plenty of help from their friends, which didn’t help the Wolves’ cause.

NBA + Referees determined to get LA Lakers back in the series

Did you walk away from your TV in between the first and second quarter on Tuesday night, just to return and find out Naz Reid was already up to three fouls? It was almost like the refs were determined to put out the Naz Reid fire from game one before it could even spark back up.

Naz picked up his first foul with 1:35 remaining in the first quarter. He picked up his second less than two minutes into the 2nd quarter (10:07) and his third with less than a minute after that (9:16). Before Naz, though, they did the same thing to Donte DiVincenzo, who piled up three foul calls in the first quarter (7:37, 3:32, 00:29)

Related: Anthony Edwards Disciplined for Bragging About His ‘Size Advantage’ in LA

After sitting on the bench for the rest of the first half, DiVincenzo was subbed back in with 8:03 remaining in the 3rd quarter. He was whistled for his fourth foul 23 seconds later.

Thankfully, we are in the age of replay, which saved the Wolves twice in a row during the third quarter from calls that were so egregious that the NBA had to reverse them when challenged by Chris Finch. Still, it’s hard enough to beat Luka Doncic when he’s cooking like he was Tuesday. If the refs are against you too, good luck.

You might hear and read, over the next couple days, that game two was a lot more competitive after the first quarter. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell in real time because every single run the Minnesota Timberwolves tried to make, the referees were there to help squash it. Whether they were missing calls against LA or making questionable ones on the Wolves… the refs were determined to make game two about them.

Former Wolves guard Jeff Teague said on his podcast this week that there was no way the NBA would let this series get to 1-1. He was right, they even deployed the referee crew that statistically-speaking would be the most likely to bring the Lakers a victory in game two.

Throughout the second half, Minnesota tried showed some fight, multiple times threatening to cut the Lakers double-digit lead into single-digits. But for reasons already mentioned, building steam was next to impossible.

Timberwolves offered nothing offensively beyond Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle

Any momentum the Wolves did muster on Tuesday came behind the efforts of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, the only two Wolves who scored in double figures. When Ant gets going, there’s nobody more exciting in the league. He’s quite literally unguardable. Get in the way of HIM and the rim at your own risk, too.

Ant finished with 25 points. 6 rebounds and 0 assists. But the most important player on the Minnesota Timberwolves in game two might have been Julius Randle. Many of us, myself included, have judged and questioned the Randle acquisition all season, as Chris Finch have struggled to fit him into their scheme.

At the end of the day, we know Tim Connelly traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Randle mostly due to present and future financial/luxury tax reasons. But the further we go along in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the more I come to appreciate the bigger-picture view for bringing in Julius Randle.

Related: Experts are Wrong: Lakers Don’t Have the Talent to Hang with Timberwolves

He’s a leader. When the Wolves need to be woken up or it’s time to get serious, it’s clear Julius Randle is the guy who gets them back on task. And boy oh boy did the MN Timberwolves need every bit of his production and veteran presence in game two, even if it was all for not, in the end.

Not only did Randle put up a team-high 27 points, to go with his 6 assists and 4 rebounds, but he repeatedly has been the guy next to Ant who the Timberwolves can rely on when they need a bucket or a big stop.

In game three, the Minnesota Timberwolves will need more from everyone else, though. If the Lakers make the Wolves into a two-man operation, like they were on Tuesday, it’ll be very difficult to win. Like we saw in game one, Minnesota needs to win with their depth and versatility. That is what they hold over the Lakers.

But not in game two, where Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander Walker, Rudy Gobert and Jade McDaniels COMBINED for only 31 points on the night. This team needs to come into Target Center ready to play in game three, unlike what we saw Tuesday.

It should help that the NBA’s mission to keep the Lakers in the playoffs shouldn’t be quite as desperate, being the series is now tied, 1-1. Game three is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 p.m CDT.

Mentioned in this article:

More About:
0What do you think?Post a comment.