Lakers vs. Timberwolves schedule, odds, game times, NBA playoff updates: Minnesota blows out L.A. in Game 1 (2025)

FINAL: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95

The first few minutes belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers. The rest of the game was all Minnesota Timberwolves. After a 16-point Luka Dončić first quarter game the Lakers a 28-21 lead after one, the Timberwolves waxed them 96-67 the rest of the way to earn a critical road win in Los Angeles and take a 1-0 lead in this first-round series.

The story of the game was Minnesota's shooting. The Timberwolves drilled 21 3-pointers, half of their 42 attempts, and a handful of those misses came in garbage time. From the beginning of the second quarter on, they just didn't miss. They got 22 points from Anthony Edwards, but more importantly, he dished out nine assists. It was Jaden McDaniels (25 points) and Naz Reid (23) who carried the scoring burden for the Timberwolves.

The Lakers just didn't get that kind of support from their role players. Dončić scored 37 points, but had only one assist in 40 minutes. LeBron James and Austin Reaves combined for 35 points, a total that is simply too low given how reliant this team is on offense to win games. The rest of the roster outside of those three players scored just 23 total points, many of which came in garbage time. It was an all-out team loss for the Lakers, and now they'll have to win a road game in Minnesota at some point to take this series.

Naz Reid out after taking a shot in the face

The Timberwolves thankfully got Anthony Edwards back from his cramp fairly quickly, but as soon as he came back in, Naz Reid exited. He took an elbow to the face from Jarred Vanderbilt on this layup attempt and stayed on the ground afterward seemingly in quite a bit of pain. He left the floor from there, and now Minnesota just has to hope his availability for Game 2 isn't in danger.

UPDATE: Reid is back on the floor, so a second crisis has been averted for Minnesota.

Could Luka's heave give the Lakers life?

The Lakers were on life support a few minutes ago. The Minnesota lead got as high as 27, but Anthony Edwards left the game with an apparent calf cramp, and the Lakers slowly started chipping away. At the end of the third quarter, Luka Dončić threw up a half-court prayer and it was answered off of the glass. We enter the fourth quarter with the Timberwolves holding a 94-78 lead. A 16-point lead is still enormous, but the Timberwolves won the second quarter by 18, so we know it's possible.

Anthony Edwards limps to locker room

Anthony Edwards just fell to the ground while attempting a layup and was in serious pain. Donte DiVincenzo fouled on the other end and Edwards immediately left the floor and hobbled to the locker room, not even getting checked out on the bench first. It looks like a calf injury at the moment, and hopefully it's just a cramp so he can return tonight if needed.

UPDATE: it is indeed a cramp for Edwards, and he just checked back into the game. He'll try to help the Timberwolves finish off this win.

Lakers waste a brilliant first quarter with a terrible second

After one quarter, Luka Dončić had nearly outscored the Timberwolves on his own. The Lakers led 28-21 in their first home game 1 in 13 years, and it was all smiles in Los Angeles. And then, the second quarter happened. A decent-sized Laker lead disappeared in a matter of minutes, and at halftime, the Timberwolves lead, 59-48.

So what's going on? For starters, Dončić is the only Laker star holding up his end of the bargain. Dončić has 20 through two quarters, but LeBron James has 10 in a relative quiet half while Austin Reaves has just two. The Lakers have also played lackadaisical defense, allowing Minnesota to hit 11 first-half 3-pointers that were mostly wide-open. Throw in a 24-17 rebounding advantage and the Timberwolves are firmly in control here.

What's scariest for the Lakers right now is that Minnesota has built this lead without getting much out of its best player. Anthony Edwards has just eight points on 3-of-9 shooting as the Lakers have made a concerted effort to throw help-defense in his direction. His teammates have benefitted. Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels combined for 31 points in the first half, and Minnesota is in control through two quarters.

Welcome to the playoffs, Luka

So, that Luka Dončić guy? Turns out he's pretty good. Through one quarter in Los Angeles, the Minnesota Timberwolves have 21 points, and Dončić is right on their tail with 16 of his own. The Lakers lead 28-21 after a quarter, but the trend of Dončić destroying Rudy Gobert in the playoffs has continued. Dončić knocked him out of the 2022 postseason when Gobert played for the Jazz, and then beat Gobert's Timberwolves last season when he was still with the Dallas Mavericks. Now Dončić is hunting the former Defensive Player of the Year yet again to great results.

Best bets for Saturday's Game 1