Luka Doncic was no stranger against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Last season, he sent the Timberwolves packing in the Western Conference Finals in five games while still playing for the Dallas Mavericks.
This year, he’ll make his return to the Twin Cities for some postseason festivities with the same expectations, but with a different team.
“Going to Minnesota is going to be a war. It’s gonna be tight. They're [Timberwolves fans] are gonna be loud. It’s us against the whole arena,” Doncic said after the LA Lakers picked up a 94-85 Game 2 win over Minnesota to tie their West first round series at 1-1.
"Going into Minnesota is gonna be a war"
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 23, 2025
Luka says it's on him and LeBron to keep the team together heading into Game 3 🤝
The Slovenian superstar paced a resounding LA response with a near triple-double outing of 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
[ALSO READ: Luka Doncic flirts with triple-double as Lakers level West series vs Timberwolves in Game 2]
However, it wasn’t the prettiest performance for the Lakers.
For the second straight game, they didn’t reach 100 points, shot just a measly 6-for-20 from deep, and committed 14 turnovers. LA also scored just 13 points in the final frame.
But as their offense is yet to click in the series, the Lakers leaned on defense to gut this one out.
They played scrappy, matched the Timberwolves’ intensity, and imposed their hard-nosed defense that allowed Minnesota to their lowest scoring game of the season.
“We were physical. The playoffs require a different level,” LA head coach JJ Redick said in the post-game press conference.
"We were physical tonight… playoffs require a different level."
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 23, 2025
JJ Redick talks to the media after the #LakeShow evens up the series, beating the Timberwolves 94-85.
LeBron James finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven dimes, including a crucial interception followed by a coast-to-coast drive that restored the Lakers’ double digit lead at 92-81 with under three minutes to play.
LEBRON BIG STEAL & BUCKET LATE IN THE 4TH 👑
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2025
“We looked at what we didn’t do so well, which is a lot of things in Game 1. We took it to heart, held each other accountable and had a much better result,” James bared.
Austin Reaves chipped in 16 markers as Redick lauded his team’s response after a lackluster series opener as the series now travels to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4.
“I think tonight was just more about getting that urgency button switched back on,” the first-year Lakers coach said.
LA also limited the Timberwolves – who torched the Lakers in Game 1 with a franchise-record 21 threes – to hit just five threes and a 20% clip from beyond the arc.
“We responded by being who we are. It was from defense and going off from there,” Doncic added.
