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Lakers vs. Timberwolves: High Stakes Playoff Battle
SportsGrid
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4/19/2025
Category
🥇
Sports
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00:00
And what an important game it will be.
00:03
This is the biggest game on today's slate.
00:06
It is arguably the biggest series of round number one.
00:10
And the Los Angeles Lakers enter this series as favorites.
00:14
They are rightfully booked as favorites.
00:17
But when we were sat at this desk last Saturday, Coach,
00:19
we discussed whether the Lakers would want to play either Minnesota or Golden State.
00:25
Those were likely the two matchups that ended up being Minnesota
00:27
due to the Warriors' loss in Game 82 at home to the L.A. Clippers.
00:32
You were very adamant, certainly on that day,
00:36
that the Timberwolves would be a tough matchup for the Lakers.
00:39
As you were able to dive in more and more with the numbers set,
00:42
how do you feel about L.A.-Minnesota?
00:44
I think it's just going to be an absolute war.
00:46
I look at Minnesota as a team with, you know,
00:50
and this is why this series is so fascinating.
00:53
Folks, let's be honest.
00:54
You have three of the top ten players in the world playing in the series.
00:58
You know the series that I think has three of the top ten in it, right?
01:03
So, to me, you have superstar power.
01:06
You have a team in the Lakers obviously trying to get LeBron that one last ring,
01:11
one more time.
01:13
Maybe even two, depending on, you know,
01:14
obviously if they can go on a run the next two years.
01:17
Versus the Minnesota team that we forgot got to the Western Conference Finals last year,
01:21
traded Cat for Julius Randle, which we're all befuddled by.
01:26
But then a team that started slow, but then got hot towards the end of the year.
01:31
I think this is such a fascinating matchup because of the coaching matchup.
01:37
I really look at inside as where this series is going to go.
01:41
It's going to be a chess match between Finch and Redick.
01:46
Here's why.
01:46
When you look at Rudy Gobert, a polarizing figure, in the playoffs,
01:54
he should be more effective because the game slows down
01:59
and the Lakers are not the type of team that's going to want to run the ball up the floor.
02:04
But then JJ could turn around and pivot and say,
02:08
I want to take Rudy out of the game.
02:11
Or, you know, in fact, I want to go smaller, put Rui Hachimura in the game,
02:17
then make Finch counter with Nas Reed.
02:20
Or does JJ look at it and say, drop coverage, Rudy Gobert, pick and roll,
02:26
look at Dodge, it's how you're doing.
02:29
Then there's the whole other side of what are we getting out of Ant?
02:33
I'm of this firm belief, folks, that Ant's got another gear,
02:39
another level that he can get to.
02:43
Whereas, you know, with top seven, eight player in the world,
02:46
maybe you're saying at the end of this playoffs, he could be top five in the world.
02:50
Especially if you look at guys like Embiid getting injured and stuff like that,
02:53
dropping down.
02:54
There are intriguing betting markets in regards to series spread,
03:00
number of games.
03:01
I mean, you know, Kevin will talk about it.
03:04
You probably missed the mark on some of the Ant props to lead the series
03:07
in some of the categories, but there still is one that I'm really intrigued
03:11
with Ant in this series.
03:13
So one thing that jumped off the page to me,
03:15
and I don't think it's going to be to this level,
03:19
Anthony Edwards averaged under 20 points per game against the Lakers.
03:24
Only team in the league that he played more than twice, that was true.
03:28
Only the fourth team overall, regardless of games played.
03:30
That he played this year and didn't average at least 20 points per game.
03:35
I think if you're the Lakers, sometimes we talk about, is it, ah, let the star get theirs
03:40
and nobody else beats us?
03:41
Or is it, okay, make everybody else beat us?
03:44
And I think it's a clear cut, make everybody else beat you series,
03:47
because Rudy Gobert is not known for having offensive moves.
03:51
And Julius Randle has a negative postseason pedigree.
03:53
And at that point, then you're asking Nas Reed or Mike Conley to potentially step up
04:00
and be an offensive engine.
04:01
And that is not going to be a legitimate pathway for Minnesota.
04:05
I think the pathway for the Timberwolves is actually to be excellent offensively.
04:10
It is one of the overarching themes for me heading into the Lakers this postseason.
04:13
I actually think the way to beat them is to be top, top, top tier on the offensive side
04:18
of the ball.
04:19
It's very difficult to stop a Luka and LeBron tandem, flatly.
04:23
It just is.
04:24
Remember, when the Lakers assembled this new iteration of themselves, the worry was,
04:29
can they guard?
04:30
Make that the question of the series and see if you can make the answer to that no.
04:35
I'm playing over in game number one, that total at 216.
04:38
The other thing that I'm going to play, game number one over the course of the series,
04:44
most unbiased man history of sports media, Timberwolves game one, Lakers to win the series.
04:50
A plus 500 price on DraftKings that I think is absolutely worth it.
04:57
I think should be much shorter.
04:59
If Minnesota does pull off the upset tonight, the Lakers won't even be close to five to one
05:04
to win the series.
05:05
That number will be lucky if it was plus 180 for the Lakers to win the series if they did
05:11
drop this game tonight.
05:13
The Minnesota Timberwolves coach, though, must win game one.
05:17
You cannot beat LeBron if he wins the opening game.
05:21
And Luka has a bad track record in game number one.
05:23
Luka's only won game one of a series twice.
05:26
And not one of them last year was against Minnesota in the conference finals.
05:30
I think there's a chance Minnesota jumps them tonight.
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