Minnesota knew what was coming after pushing the Lakers around in Game 1 of this series.
“We knew they would come with high intensity, with energy. We knew it was going to be physical,” Julius Randle said.
Knowing the Lakers were going to play with a desperate intensity and dealing well with it are two different things.
“We were stagnant, missed open looks, missed layups,” Randle added.
The Lakers flipped the script in Game 2, going from the team getting pushed around to the aggressors, the more physical team on defense. They played like the team in desperate need of a win (because they were).
The result was the Lakers racing out to a 17-point first-quarter lead — again behind a hot start from Luka Doncic, who had 16 points of his 31 points in the first quarter — and this time holding on for the 94-85 win that evens the series 1-1.
This series shifts to Minnesota on Friday night.
Los Angeles’s energy on defense was evident from the opening tip — the Lakers were pressuring out higher, and they put two on the ball whenever Anthony Edwards got it. It all threw the Timberwolves off their game.
“The way that they’re guarding us, when I catch the ball, they kind of go zone, and when I try to attack a gap, it’s like three people,” Edwards said. “I’ve just got to make my decisions a little quicker, and we’ll be all right.”
Doncic was again the focal point of the offense, they even used him in he post more, but what really changed was just an attention to detail — the Lakers did things like set good screens and made solid contact with the defenders, something they didn’t do in Game 1.
LeBron James had a strong night, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. He also had a key play in the fourth, a steal and a bucket, that gave Los Angeles the momentum back when Minnesota had put together a run to get the lead down to single digits.
While Randle (27 points) and Edwards (25) got theirs, the Timberwolves’ bench, which was key in Game 1, was in foul trouble and much quieter in Game 2: Naz Reid had nine points, and Donte DiVincenzo had four.
Minnesota played better in the second half and can walk away from this game feeling positive: They got the split in Los Angeles and will not have another bad offensive half (or night) like they did in Game 2. What matters for Minnesota is that their defense held up, the Lakers still didn’t break 100 (and for all the focus the Lakers had on isolating Rudy Gobert, Doncic was 1-of-4 in those situations).
Both teams have reasons for optimism heading into Friday night and Game 3.
The Timberwolves believe their role players will feel more comfortable and be better at home. That is likely true.
While the Lakers can feel they’ve found their defense, they still have proven playoff winners in Doncic and LeBron, who tend to improve as a playoff series progresses.
