The Physicality Issue
From the opening tip to the final buzzer, Minnesota brought relentless intensity. Julius Randle set the tone early with a hard elbow to LeBron James, and the Timberwolves never eased up. They outpaced, outmuscled, and outplayed their opponents for all 48 minutes.
“When you face a team like Minnesota, you expect physicality—that’s their identity,” James told Yahoo Sports after the defeat. “Maybe it took us that first playoff game to truly understand the level of intensity and physical play they bring, but that’s just who they are.”
The energy that fueled L.A.’s strong start in the first quarter had completely disappeared by halftime.
Redick Gets Honest About Lakers’ Game 1 Issues
Rookie head coach JJ Redick was candid in his evaluation.
“I don’t know if we were physically prepared, if that makes sense,” Redick said, according to Yahoo Sports. “Once they ramped up the intensity and physicality, we didn’t respond right away.”
It was evident. The Lakers appeared to be reacting rather than taking control. Even though they won the free-throw battle (16 attempts compared to Minnesota’s 10), the physicality and pressure were clearly on the side of the visitors.
Lakers Must Answer the Call
Tuesday’s Game 2 is now essentially a must-win—not just to even the series, but to show they can rise to the occasion.
For the league, the stakes are even higher. A quick exit for the Lakers would mean sidelining both LeBron and Luka Doncic early—two of the NBA’s biggest stars—at a time when TV ratings are being closely watched.
Minnesota, on the other hand, isn’t concerned with the storylines.
Anthony Edwards was straightforward: “We’re the underdogs. I told my teammates to be aggressive and come out ready to fight.”
And they did. If the Lakers don’t respond, the Timberwolves could take control of this series.
