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Four games and no information? A season series that offers little roadmap for the postseason meetings to come?
It’s a bit of a weird situation as the Lakers head into the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, their roster overhaul and strange December making it hard to really look to the past for information on the future.
“We had games the last, six, seven weeks where we hadn’t played the team since [Anthony Davis] was on the team and didn’t have Luka [Doncic]. So we have a way of prepping based on previous games, previous games against Luka,” JJ Redick said Sunday. “We have a general idea of what their rules are, just like they have a general idea of what our rules are.”
Still, there have to be things from the Lakers games with the Timberwolves this year that are going to matter.
As the teams open their first-round playoff series Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena, let’s take a quick look at how they match up.
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KEY TEAM STATS
Lakers
Record: 50-32
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 115.0 (11th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG):113.8 (17th)
Net Rating (NET RTG)*: 1.2 (14th)(*Net rating subtracts defensive rating from offensive rating for a projected margin of victory.)
Timberwolves
Record: 49-33
Offensive Rating (OFF RTG): 115.7 (8th)
Defensive Rating (DEF RTG): 110.8 (6th)
Net Rating (NET RTG)*: 5.0 (4th)(*Net rating subtracts defensive rating from offensive rating for a projected margin of victory.)
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PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lakers
Luka Doncic: 28.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 7.5 apg, 43.8 fg%/37.9 3-pt. fg%/79.1 ft%
LeBron James: 24.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 8.2 apg, 51.3 fg%/37.6 3-pt. fg%/78.2 ft%
Austin Reaves: 20.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.8 apg, 46.0 fg%/37.7 3-pt. fg%/87.7 ft%
Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards: 27.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 44.7 fg%/39.5 3-pt. fg%/83.6 ft%
Rudy Gobert: 11.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 67.4 fg%/67.5 ft%
Julius Randle: 18.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.7 apg, 48.5 fg%/34.7 3-pt. fg%/80.6 ft%
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HOW THEY FARED
Season Series: 2-2
Oct. 22, 2024, in Los Angeles
The Lakers won their season opener as LeBron James and Bronny James become the first father-son duo to play as teammates in an NBA game. JJ Redick’s first win was sparked by the Lakers holding Minnesota to just 42 first-half points. Anthony Davis dominated with 36 points, Rui Hachimura had 18, LeBron James had 16 and Austin Reaves scored 12, the Lakers shooting five of 30 from three-point range. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 27.
Dec. 2 in Minneapolis
The Lakers had a season low for points, playing without an injured Austin Reaves (hip contusion). The team made only six of 31 from three, with D’Angelo Russell making four of them. Anthony Edwards shot just three of 13 , but three different Minnesota reserves scored in double figures off the bench.
Dec. 13 in Minneapolis
The Lakers offense was only slightly better in Austin Reaves’ first game back from injury. LeBron James was out dealing with a foot injury. Four players not currently on the roster played significant minutes — Anthony Davis, Max Christie, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish.
Feb. 27 in Los Angeles
Playing with their full rotation, the Lakers held Minnesota to 17 first-quarter points while leading by as many as 17 points. LeBron James scored 33 and grabbed 17 rebounds while Austin Reaves had 23 and Luka Doncic 21 against Minnesota, which was playing without Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert. Rookie Terrance Shannon Jr. led Minnesota with 25 points off the bench. Anthony Edwards got ejected and played just 26 minutes.
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