NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves September 23, 2025 | 2025 NBA Season Live 2K
Heat. Heat. N. Here we go. So, the Lakers will get the first possession. Here are the starters for Los Angeles. Aimura is the four with eight playing the five. Reeves in it. shooting guard James is the small forward and it’s Donic in at the one and Greg when you’re dealing with this Timberwolves team fairly deep with size up front that can wear you down over the course of a game and especially in a playoff series a real strength of this team now LeBron following the miss by Michael Connley from G no one near Reeves as he lets it go nailed from three-point land good awareness on Aton’s part spotting the open teammate. We’re now joined by our sideline reporter Ally Leforce. Ally, it’s all yours. Well, I had a chance to catch up with head coach Chris Finch. As you might expect, we talked about the game plan for defending Luca Donic. Coach stressed that they’ll double team him often, saying, quote, “We want him to feel challenged on every single shot. I don’t want him to get exactly what he wants out there.” Sounds like Luca should expect hands in his face at all times tonight. Back to you, Kevin. Terrific, Ally. We appreciate the report. Now here’s LeBron following the miss by Julius Randall. Five on the clock. Unloads. No good from LeBron. Well, that wasn’t a bad shot. Defense playing a little loose there. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in. Three-pointer Randall. That’s in there. Connley with the assist. And you don’t see that kind of quickness from your bigs very often. Randall with great hands there. Pass to Eightton. LeBron outside. And here is Hatchim. And again, Los Angeles with a triple. Matching baskets from the perimeter. An earmark of today’s game. Yeah, sometimes you get in a shootout like this, but you just hope that you can get a stop first. Back to Edwards. laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Well, look, it’s tough to keep Edwards out of the lane and tough to stop him once he’s in there. First quarter basketball just over two and a half minutes played. LeBron is doubled and the dunk by Hatim Moran. A little artistry in the painted area converting against the size. Yeah, he didn’t let the defense affect him there. He just kept his focus. Randall finds Edwards over Reeves and finished off by Goar. Then Gobear showing how much he wanted that basket. Reeves outside. Just under three and a half minutes gone here in the first quarter. Hatchima with a screen on Edwards and the dunk by Hatchima. And for a power forward, he can sure get up. I mean, because of that leaping ability, it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Connley, the pass to Edwards. Edwards with another miss. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. And the shot goes in. Reeves has got five now. Nice little floater there. Soft touch outside Edwards. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Edwards with another miss. Lakers leading by five. Here’s LeBron. Good. Nice job down low. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Now here is Edwards. Go Bear with a screen on Reeds. Here’s Edwards. Another miss by Minnesota. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. They could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Too many empty possessions right now. They need the basket outside. Connley. Here’s Randall. Another miss by Minnesota. Lakers leading by nine. James kicks to Donic. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron against Conway. to the paint. Here’s Eaton. Go with the block. And when Go is playing with this kind of aggression on that end, there aren’t many better at defending it. Yeah. A nice strong finish on the inside. But Greg, that’s what he does. He’s got the dunker mentality. You know, Stan, even at this late stage of his career, Mike Connley brings tremendous value to the team. He sure does, Kevin. And and look, we know this. No one brings more discipline and professionalism on a nightly basis. He keeps this team poised. He keeps his team organized and he’s a great mentor to the young players on this team. Here’s Hatimarov following the bucket by the Timberwolves. Anage passes to Eightton. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Eightton’s got his second basket of the game. Well, there’s the skill of Eightton nailing the jump shot with confidence. McDaniels outside to Randall. Go Bear with a screen for Randall. Go down low. He’s covered by Hatchima. leaves against second chance shot and contact on the shot. So, he’ll be shooting free throws here. Well, coach, we know there’s a lot of expectations tied to a number one pick and sometimes they fall flat, but that has not been the case so far with Anthony Edwards. Oh, it sure as heck hasn’t, Kevin. But I think it starts with Anthony Edwards welcomed the expectations. He wanted the expectations and he has pushed himself to play to that level on a nightly basis and he’s done it. First one falls for it. Greg Anthony Edwards is full of confidence and it’s beautiful to watch and rightfully so and can do it all on the floor as complete of a wing as you’ll find in our league. Reed he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dante Devenenzo comes in for Michael Conley and Edwards drops them both. Just solid. Really one of the very best there is at the free throw line. Pass to Vanderbilt. And here’s James outside. Connects from three-point range. LeBron’s got five points so far. Showing some range. LeBron more than capable of hurting you from deep. Here’s Reed. tried to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. Donic dishes to Smart. Aton finds Donic. Shoots the three. The rebound by the Timberwolves. It’s Edwards on the wing. Reed gets the bucket. And Reed is a very active player. Love seeing him be this aggressive inside. Bass to Vanderbilt. Now James McDaniels defending. Never a bad idea to run the old pick play. Uh-uh. You’re right. And if it produces a slam like that, we’ll probably see more of them. Yeah. Defensive breakdown there. Got to communicate and switch that screen. And Minnesota has possession after the basket by the Lakers. And here’s Steven Genenzo from the arc. Good work defensively by Smart James left side. Pass to Eightton and he banks in the layup and it’s a 10-point Laker lead. Boy, that was quick. Already out to a double-digit lead. Yeah, incredible play on both ends of the floor. There may be too big of a gap here. Reed kicks to Dean Jenzo. No one near Edwards as he lets it block. Hits the three-point bomb. Edwards got seven. Well, you have to be careful with Edwards on the arc because he is completely furious. Go bear against Eaton. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Just five on the clock. Out to McDaniel. No good on the three. Lakers leading by seven. LeBron with it. Picked up by Edwards. Vanderbilt kicks to Smart. Pass to James over Edwards and LeBron gets it to go with the assist from Smart. And that’s now nine points for LeBron. It might be the most difficult shot in basketball, the hook shot. And timeout called by Chris Finch. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something. 136 left in the first quarter. Now Devenzo still without a basket. Left side. Reed. Clock at four. Clark finds Randall. Count that one. I tell you what, it’s it’s almost like stealing to watch how he plays the game from this seat. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. Seven-point differential. Pass to Vanderbilt. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. Here’s Dvenenzo. There’s 53 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Here’s Shannon guarded by Donic. A three for Debenzo. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Smart. Clebba kicks to Donic. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Pass to Cleba. Reed with the defensive effort. Randall down low. He’s against Vanderbilt. Nice work defensively to contest that shot right at the rim. Nothing easy. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. And a double-digit lead on the scoreboard as we end the first quarter of play. Lakers lead by 12. After this break, we’ll be back with the start of the second quarter on 2K Sports. And welcome back to the second quarter of action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far. And a chance to catch up on some numbers here. Scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, they’re in a great flow. The ball’s moving. All those assisted buckets means the offense is running well. Another thing they’ve done well is push the tempo. They’re running the floor and converting on the fast break. Taking a look at the Lakers. Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Maxi Clea. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Loravia in at the three spot. And Greg, everyone talks about the importance of basketball IQ. Can you win in the NBA with a low IQ team? Boy, it would be tough. I mean, there’s a reason younger teams typically don’t win at the highest level, but you need to take those lumps and get that experience and learn from those lessons. Three-pointer Randall. He doesn’t hit that one. Lakers leading by 12. Get there. Get Reeves. The pass to Lorravia. Back to Reeves. Score it. His third straight basket in three tries. And Matador defense. That’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this down. Outside Smart Reeds with a screen on Reed. Smart misses. Timberlenzo. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reed. Yeah, way to get there first and be willing to absorb the contact. Vincent’s checked in for Marcus Smart. Lakers leading by 14. Reeves with it. He has seven. Reeves with the screen on Clark. Pass to Vincent. Lorabia with the screen. Los Angeles with another miss. The Timberwol shooting just 39% from the field. Struggling to find that net. Randall surveying the D trying to get something going. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Reeds. Now about three minutes gone in this second quarter basketball and that one’s good. Larabia and guys, they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Reed with a screen on Reed. Here we go. One-on-one pass to Vanderbilt. Here’s Larabia. Screen and the layup’s good off the glass. La has got four points this quarter. Timberwolves trail by 18. So, what do you like about Jake Labia the most? He’s a 67 personal forward. Uh, seems to have a pretty good skill set. He’s got a great skill set, Kevin. And what he’s got is he’s a great decision maker. He knows when to pass, when to shoot, Randall. Nice ball movement by Minnesota. Go the screen and here’s Devenzo from the arc. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Let’s go to the sideline and see what Ally Leforce has dug up for us. Ally, take it away. Thanks a lot. Anthony Edwards keeps a tight circle. He said, “I’ve known my whole crew since I was 13, and that’s the answer to everything.” And the crew includes those voices of wisdom, too. He said, quote, I keep those types of friends around. I’m not the type that always listens, but I’ll listen to my elders. All right, Ellie, thanks a lot. Not stopping that. Go bear from there is right around 100%. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Looking for a breather and maybe adjusting a thing or two. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Donic. Los Angeles with another miss. And even without that three ball dropping for him, the defense should have done more on that last play. Well, you love assisted hoops. That’s good offense. Lakers leading by 14. Bonjic outside. Revenenzo fouled in the active shooting. Gets the bucket anyway. So, a three-point play chance for him. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. DeAndre comes in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for connect. Free throw good. Reeves. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. LeBron against McDaniel. Vanderbilt gets a wide open look. His three-pointer is off the mark. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards. Edwards getting the close range two. A fantastic decision making big Randall with the right choice there finding the open man inside. Goar with the block down low. Here’s Randall. Out to Edwards. Down to five on the shot clock and he can’t bank that one in. LeBron with it now defended by Randall. LeBron passes to Reeves. And here is Aton. Six points for him. Takes a three. A shot by LeBron. No good. Edwards looking it over. Vanderbilt against Goar outside. Edwards. The layup missed. Wow. Missed the easy one right there. Right at the rim, but came up empty. Reeves against Edwards. Oh, Eightton in position. It’s stolen by Edwards. And the wideopen shot from Denzel. No good with the triple. Lakers leading by 15. Outside James sets the pick for LeBron to the inside on the wing. Reeds over Edwards. Los Angeles with another miss. Minnesota’s gone 03 from beyond the arc to start the second quarter. To the middle. Tipped away and stolen by Eaton. James with it. McDaniels picks him up inside. It’s stolen by Deanzo. Outside Edwards has to Randall. Knocked away on the wing. Reed. 10 points for him. Timberwolves trail by 15. Over in the corner, Edward down low. Here’s Goar and slam dunk by Go. Yeah, he just punched the ticket on that one. That’ll get the job done. Powerful two hand jam. Time out. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach needs a moment to talk things over. In for Dante Debenzo. Hatimura. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Connect comes in for Austin Reed. So, it’s the Lakers now. They led by as many as 18 points. Donic against Conor. Can they get it? And it’s Donic missing. Timberwolves trail by 13. Outside Edwards. Teardrop shot rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. And the dunk by Hatimura. And proving to be effective around the rim. Hakima leaving no doubt about that one. Connley feeling it out. Over in the corner. McDaniels. Shot clock at five. No good with the wing jumper. Lakers leading by 15. Near the three-point line. It’s Donic. Go pulls it in. They need a good offensive possession. Yeah, they’ve gone a long time without a bucket. The Timberwolves working the ball around them. Edwards no good. And Los Angeles guys uh shooting 56% in this game. Really stringing quality possessions together offensively. Pass to connect. Here’s Dantage and Aton throws it down. Great execution of the alley. Of course, having Aiden to throw it to makes it much easier. Outside Edwards and the three ball is good. Edwards got 12 in the game. That’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Back to Donic and they double up Donic. Hatchimura fouls James. Now here is Hatchima and there’s a foul called on Nas Reed. That’s his first foul. I I mean I like the call. I thought the defense was just there a little late. Austin Reeves is checked in for the Lakers. There’s 42 seconds left to play here in the half. Five to shoot. Los Angeles needs to get off a shot here. And it’s Donic missing. Well, you can’t question his confidence from out there, but it’s not falling. Maybe time for a different approach. Edwards inside. He’s defended by Reed. Reed misses. Donic looking it over from deep LeBron and so it’s Los Angeles sitting with a comfortable lead up by 14. Their defense has been terrific in this game. Back dynamite on offense. Yeah and in terms of slowing him down. I think they’re going to have to change things up, give him some different looks. And so it’s Minnesota with it. They trail by 14. The guard pair will be Connley and Edwards. The big man on the floor for him, Randall and Goar. And it’s McDaniels at the small forward. So that’s the lineup for Minnesota. Off target from outside. Laker shooting has been terrific. 54% on the game. Reeves the pass to LeBron. Reeves with the screen on McDaniels. James with it. Picked up by Edwards. Bomb deep. Reeves hands it from downtown. Reeves has got the first points to start out the third quarter for the Lakers. Randall with a screen for Edwards to the paint. And there’s Randall on the assist from Edwards. Randle’s got 11. You know, they like Randall to be an offensive presence in the paint. They want him to be an option on every possession. to the inside. It’s stolen by Goel and now Minnesota on the fast break. McDaniels dishes to Edwards from the baseline. Not enough on that one as it misses. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. So coach Van Gundy, after four defensive player of the year awards, his last coming in 2024, do you think Rudy Goar has a chance at another? Well, look, Kevin, I think Rudy continues to play at just as high a level defensively, but now as the game has changed, I think we’re starting to reward guys with those awards who can not only protect the rim and make it tough on teams, but can go out on the perimeter and guard multiple positions. So, I think it’ll be tough for him to get a fit. Well, offensively he’s doing his best to keep them in this game, but they might need someone else to step up as well. Freeze with the screen on outside and the Lakers with another miss. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game from Reeves against Edwards. Edwards with confidence. Now right there, Edwards uses the screen to create the space he needs. Pass to Donic. Right wing and a wide open look for Hatimura. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got six assists in the game. McDaniels outside. No one near Connley as he lets it go. And again, Minnesota with the triple. Right back at you. Connley’s a counter puncher. He knows when his team needs a lift. LeBron against McDaniels. And they double up James. Eighton wide open again. Los Angeles. Look, if you double him, he’ll make a play for someone else. Pass to McDaniels. Back to Connley. There’s the three. Greavves with the rebound. Lakers leading by 12 over Connley again. Los Angeles. Not surprised at all. He’s shooting it well and scoring points in butches. Now here’s Randall. 11 points in the game. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Takes the three. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got doubledigit rebounds now in the game. To the middle. It’s stolen by Randall. Nick Daniels with the ball. He’s picked up by Donic. McDaniels kicks to Randall. And here’s Edwards from the arc. Knocks down the three ball. Edwards got six points in the quarter. Well, look, Edwards plays with a lot of confidence which makes him deadly off the catch. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the James. The pass to Donic. Now Eightton outside James. Pocket six near the three-point line. It’s Donuch. It’s hauled in by Edwards. Edwards got four rebounds in this game. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Alli Leor on the sidelines. Thanks, Kevin. The Lakers going out and acquiring superstar talent. And Luca Donuch, LeBron James said, “Everything I do on the floor, Donic has the ability to do it or even do it better. That’s how great he is. Even at his young age, he’s such a unique special player, a generational talent.” Back to you. They’re clearly happy to have him. Ally, as always, we appreciate your reporting. Here’s Gobear off the mark and a chance to trim it to single digits. Reeves the pass to Hatchima shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws. Julius Randle picks one up. And when Pachimura is looking to score, it sometimes forces the D to get aggressive. Love the energy. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, their passing has been just exceptional, and it’s opened up the floor for them on numerous occasions. And another area they’ve separated themselves has been their three-point shooting, making the defense pay for any air space. And the first one at the line is good. Minnesota making a switch here. Venenzo’s checked in. off on that one. So, he goes one for two at the line and a fourtime defensive player of the year. Rudy Gobear is improving his perimeter defense as well. Gray, it’s helped his overall game. Yeah, teams have looked to pull him outside and test his lateral quickness, but I tell you, he holds up better than you think. And we know his presence at the rim. And here’s Donic from the art rebound. Minnesota’s got four rebounds now tonight. Outside Edwards. Go with a screen for Edwards. Shoots over Donic. Shot is good in the Los Angeles leads. Cut down now to just 10 on the basket from Edwards. Yeah, not sure why he faded away there. Sure looked like he had plenty of space and the foul called on Edwards. That’s foul number two for him. The Lakers making a switch here. Smarts checked in. LeBron outside. Pass to Eaton. It’s stolen by Go. McDaniels outside now. Here’s Edwards. Guarded by Donic. Edwards against Donic. Just five to shoot. tries it from 19. Rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got 12 rebounds here tonight. Big time effort. LeBron dishes to Donic. Pass to Hatchimal. Minnesota with the rebound. McDaniels kicks to Randall outside. Edwards inside and a miss there with a chance to cut the lead to single digits. Donich with it now. Defended by Goar. It’s going to be out of bounds. Los Angeles will retain possession. and he jumped out to that ball immediately. Great reaction on that deflection. Yeah, and you know they’re tracking the tips and deflections because that tells you who’s affecting the game. Minnesota making a switch here. Shannon’s checked in. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Clebba the pass to Vanderbilt. Smart goes in and slam dunk by Smart. A headstrong guy. Smart excels going to the rim. Has to go bear. And here’s Edwards. Lets the free fly. LeBron grabs the miss. LeBron’s got four rebounds now tonight. Here’s Donic. Back to James. for the three. LeBron James making it look easy from deep. As if the league didn’t have enough to worry about with LeBron, he’s just become a better and better jump shooter. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt a screen on Devenenzo. Vanderbilt misses. Timberl 15. Shannon passes to Deven Shenzo. Now Edwards no. The Timberwolves need to get a shot off here. And he’s good on the three ball. Even Jenzo’s got himself going there. His first points of the game on the deep ball. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s ready to talk things through with him. The key thing, coach, that Dante D. Venenzo brings to a team. Miller comes in for Julius Randall. And it’s Clark in for Edwards. And then for the Lakers, Jake Laabia checked in for LeBron. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Donic. Pass to Lorravia. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Reeves. Three-pointer. Miller grabs the miss. Well, that’s a shot the defense felt like they could live with and it worked out for him that time. Reed kicks to Miller. Vanderbilt with the steal. Reeves outside and a miss there on the triple. and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Shannon no good. Los Angeles leading by 12 outside smart. Vanderbilt setting the pick for Reeves offline with his three. Timber shooting 35% or so in the third quarter. Whatever they’re trying is not working. Up top, Dvenenzo. Guarded by Smart. Shot clock at five. Back to Devenenzo. Clark for three. The Lakers with the rebound. 107 left in the third quarter. Arabia passes to Vanderbilt. Down low. Here’s Shannon. And there’s the slam dunk to finish it off. Excellent on both ends of that play. Yeah, the steel was sharp, but the slam topped it off. And that is why you want to run off turnovers. Get down the floor before the defense is set. Reads right side. Baseline. Jay on the way. Folk loose. Timberwolves trail by 10. Pass to Clark. Two seconds separating the shot clock and game clock. Arabia passes to Reeves. Here’s Vanderbilt. Back to Reeves. Six to shoot. No good. And they can’t put an end to this drought. Well, through three quarters of play, down double digits. It may be difficult to overcome. Lakers on top, leading by 10. And we’re just moments away from the start of the fourth quarter. Stay with us. And now we have a moment to reveal our State Farm assist of the game. And the definition of teamwork right there, guys. I mean, what great communication between them. And what a beautiful feed. Well, it’s one of the core parts of the game, reading the defense and creating an easy bucket for your teammate. That is pretty. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. Taking a look at the Lakers, we’ve got Jared Vanderbilt, Austin Reeves out there with Vincent. Then it’s Jake Laabia and it’s Cleba in at the five spot. Randall outside shots good by Shannon able to get a layup out of that one. That’s just soft defense there. Pass to Vincent with the screen on Devenenzo. Fires for three. Here’s Cleba and Cleba slams it in. That’s why you never quit battling on the offensive glass. And that’s a nice reward for his effort. The flush. Perfect. Well, that’s what he does. He makes an impact with his activity on the boards. And Randle’s never been one to back down from physical play inside. And he’s not going to start now. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first free throw is good. and good on the second. So he makes them both. We played just over one minute here in the fourth quarter. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with a screen on Devenenzo. Here’s Vincent defended by Dvenenzo. Vanderbilt and the dunk by Vanderbilt. Oh. Oh, inflicting some punishment with the two-hand flush. Ah, they’re going for the throat. Pass to Shannon. And here’s Randall. Vanderbilt defending. Shoots. Randall no good. Just strong work defensively there in the low post. You got to be tough down in the paint. Yeah, that’s an outstanding defensive stand in close. If the possession ends with a shot in close, you’ve done something right. Pass to Shannon over Reeves. The Timberwolves again can’t hit and Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. They led by as many as 18 points. Now Larabia and the three off target. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reeves. Even Shenzo can’t hit it. Lakers leading by 15. Reeves. The pass to Cleba. Big coming. Big coming. Here’s Vincent. And he could not get that one to go. Lot of contact. And he’ll go to the line for two. It’s going to go on Nas Reed. The first one falls. Edwards has come in for Clark. Donic has checked in for Los Angeles. And so Vincent nails both of them. And over two and a half minutes in the books here in the fourth. Guys are looking for a spark here. Yeah, a cold stretch offensively for sure. Edwards kicks to Reed. Misses the three. Lakers leading by 17. Bass to Labia. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Nice ball movement there by the Lakers. Shot clock at six. Donic against Edwards. Reed with the rebound. Minnesota’s gotten off to an 0 for two start from downtown here in the fourth quarter. It’s stolen by Vanderbilt. Donic outside. Vincent. The pass to Donic. There’s the pick. Great team that time from Edwards. Timberwolves trail by 17. Randall kicks to Edwards. They need this one. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got his fifth rebound in this one. Hey, right here. Right here. Here’s Donic. Pass to Vincent. And here is Cleba. Here’s Donic up and in on the layup and the Lakers lead by 19. Creating space. Donic will move defenders around outside. Edwards to the paint. Count the bucket. Coming off a perfectly placed assist. Now, how about how he sets his man up there, runs him right into the screen and then gets the basket right there. Right there. Now Vincent inside, stolen by Reed. It’s twoon-one. Here’s Dvenenzo and it’s out of bounds. Oh, they say it was last touched by Dvenenzo. Yeah, couldn’t quite hang on to it. They’re not in a position now where they can afford to be giving it away like that. Rudy Gobear, he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dillingham comes in for Dante Dvenenzo and then for Los Angeles. Koko’s checked in and James subbed in for Jake Clarabio. Donic outside. Pass to connect. Here’s Vanderbilt. Wes to get it to Donic and does. Six on the shot clock. Jacks up a three. Los Angeles with another miss. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards and finished off by Edwards. Wow. This is how explosive Edwards can be. He finishes with such force at the rim. Los Angeles has gotten just one of four three-pointers to go down for them here in the fourth. Donic bounce pass. The shots good from Vanderbilt. He He’s just adept at gutting the defense in these sets. Give Donic a passing lane and he’ll thread the needle. Back to Edwards. Off the mark there with the three-point shot. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. They’ve given up just eight points in the fourth quarter. That’s short off the rim. I’m sure he’d like to have that back. That’s a missed opportunity. Pass to Edwards. Lets it go from deep. Buries the long range jumper. Edwards got five points in the quarter and that pick takes the D totally out of the equation. Yeah, you’ve got to lock and trail hard. You can’t allow in the clean look for Timberwolves trail by 14. Dillingham with it. This one for three. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Vanderbilt’s got six rebounds now in the game. Oh, how about that slam? Somebody got their feelings hurt on that one. Incredible. And what an explosive finisher LeBron is rocking the rim whenever he goes up like that. Here’s Dillingham for three. Edwards outside for Randall. Offensive rebound. Shannon passes to Randall. goes up again. Rebounded by the Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. He gets stolen by Randall. Here’s Edwards bursting off the floor. Edwards hammers it down. Just a ferocious play by Edwards taking the contact but staying committed to his finish. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. Beyond the leaning, you could see his feet weren’t set on that screen. Easy call. Look, you can get away with a lot in terms of screens today, but you can’t make it that obvious. McDaniels, he’s checked in for the Timberwolves. And so Chris Finch, he wants better shot selection. He told them, “We’re settling, guys. Come on. We’re not being patient out there. We’re not working the ball around. That has to change right now.” All right, Ally. Thanks. drains it from beyond the arc and the Lakers lead by 17. And we’re so used to Donic operating with the ball in his hands, but it’s good to see him mix it up and work off the catch. Conley sets a screen for Edwards, gets a very good look and converts. Edwards got nine points now in the quarter. Well, sometimes you need more than just your stars, though. They’ve got to run something to get the other guys good looks. And here’s Donic from the arc. Yes. And it’s LeBron picking up the assist. Great game for him. Double double now. 11 points and 10 rebounds. Randle kicks to Connley. Pass to Edwards. Here’s Go. Holy cow. What a bailout. Too much. Rudy Gobear can take a lot of contact down low. Now Donic Eightton outside. Here’s the shot. Buries the jumper. Timberwolves trail by 18 outside Edwards. Here’s McDaniels. Connley with the screen on LeBron. Outside Edwards. Releases from 15. It’s in. His shot is pure. Well, when Edwards gets this hot, all an opponent can hope to do is limit the damage. Donic. Now, Hatimura. Reeves outside, missed on the three. Well, the defense catches a break there. You expect him to make those. Connley and he banks the layup in. Yeah, not just a jump shooter. Connley is also adept at finding real estate close to the rim. Lakers leading by 14. Now, Donic James in the post working on McDaniels. And tonight’s battle is going to end with a very clear winner, leaving nothing to chance. Impressive win for the Lakers. This was a physical physical game. Yeah, I mean, they were aware of the rotations defensively and were able to attack the rim and a great team effort tonight helped in large part with contributions and the nice night it ended up being for Luca Donic. He was everywhere defensively, offensively. The effort we saw from him tonight, I think was the difference. Aton. Oh, what an assist. Leading him to the bucket. Inspired tonight. They fought hard and at crucial points just made the plays. Yeah, they saved their best basketball for this home stretch and they certainly earned this win. Go. Oh, no good on the dunk. Come on. You can’t be doing that. I know these guys want to put on a show, but you can’t pass up scoring opportunities. Donic. And he uses the glass on the layup. Yeah, they’ve sucked the energy out of this arena. Tremendous effort on the road. Yeah, and winning games on the road is huge, especially when you get them in such a convincing fashion. Outside Connley outside for Randall and again with the rebound. He hauls in his 20th rebound. Dominating the glass and so it’s the Lakers. Here we go. So, the Lakers will get the first possession. Here are the starters for Los Angeles. Aimura is the four with eight play in the five. Reeves and it shooting guard. James is the small forward. And it’s Donic in at the one. And Greg, when you’re dealing with this Timberwolves team fairly deep with size up front, that can wear you down over the course of a game and especially in a playoff series. is a real strength of this team. Now LeBron following the miss by Michael Connley from deep. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. Nailed from three-point land. Good awareness on Aton’s part spotting the open teammate. We’re now joined by our sideline reporter Ally Leforce. Ally, it’s all yours. Well, I had a chance to catch up with head coach Chris Finch. As you might expect, we talked about the game plan for defending Luca Dantage. Coach stressed that they’ll double team him often, saying, quote, “We want him to feel challenged on every single shot. I don’t want him to get exactly what he wants out there.” Sounds like Luca should expect hands in his face at all times tonight. Back to you, Kevin. Terrific, Ally. We appreciate the report. Now, here’s LeBron following the miss by Julius Randall. Five on the clock. Unloads. No good from LeBron. Well, that wasn’t a bad shot. Defense playing a little loose there. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in. Three-pointer Randall. That’s in there. Connley with the assist. And you don’t see that kind of quickness from your bigs very often. Randall with great hands there. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside. And here is Hatcheim Murray. And again, Los Angeles with a triple. Matching baskets from the perimeter. An earmark of today’s game. Yeah, sometimes you get in a shootout like this, but you just hope that you can get a stop first. Back to Edwards. Played in with a nice touch off the glass. Well, look, it’s tough to keep Edwards out of the lane and tough to stop him once he’s in there. First quarter basketball just over two and a half minutes played. LeBron is doubled and the dunk by Hatim Murray. A little artistry in the painted area converting against the size. Yeah, he didn’t let the defense affect him there. He just kept his focus. Randall finds Edwards over Reeves and finished off by Goar and Goar showing how much he wanted that basket. Reeves outside. Just under three and a half minutes gone here in the first quarter. Hatchima with a screen on Edwards and the dunk by Hatimura. And for a power forward, he can sure get up. I mean, because of that leaping ability, it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Connley, the pass to Edwards. Edwards with another miss. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. And the shot goes in. Reeves has got five now. Nice little floater there. Soft touch outside. Edwards. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Edwards with another miss. Lakers lead by five. Here’s LeBron. Good. Nice job down low. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burrows his way inside and takes advantage. Now here’s Edwards. Go with a screen on Reeds. Here’s Edwards. Another miss by Minnesota. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. They could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Too many empty possessions right now. They need the basket. Outside Connley, here’s Randall. Another miss by Minnesota. Lakers leading by nine. James kicks to Donic. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron against Con. To the paint. Here’s Aton. Go Bear with the block. And when Goa is playing with this kind of aggression on that end, there aren’t many better at defending it. Yeah. A nice strong finish on the inside. But Greg, that’s what he does. He’s got the dunker mentality. You know, Stan, even at this late stage of his career, Mike Connley brings tremendous value to the team. He sure does, Kevin. And and look, we know this. No one brings more discipline and professionalism on a nightly basis. He keeps this team poised. He keeps his team organized and he’s a great mentor to the young players on this team. Here’s Hatchima following the bucket by the Timberwolves. An passes to Eightton. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Eightton’s got his second basket of the game. Well, there’s the skill of Eightton nailing the jump shot with confidence. McDaniels outside. Pass to Randall. Goar with a screen for Randall. Go down low. He’s covered by Hatchima. Reeves against Tibs. Second change shot and contact on the shot. So, he’ll be shooting free throws here. Well, coach, we know there’s a lot of expectations tied to a number one pick and sometimes they fall flat, but that has not been the case so far with Anthony Edwards. Oh, it sure as heck hasn’t, Kevin. But I think it starts with Anthony Edwards welcomed the expectations. He wanted the expectations and he has pushed himself to play to that level on a nightly basis and he’s done it. First one falls for him. Greg Anthony Edwards is full of confidence and it’s beautiful to watch and rightfully so. Ant can do it all on the floor. As complete of a wing as you’ll find in our league. Reed he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dante Dvenenzo comes in for Michael Con and Edwards drops them both. Just solid. Really one of the very best there is at the free throw line. Daz to Vanderbilt. And here’s James outside. Connects from three-point range. LeBron’s got five points so far. Showing some range. LeBron more than capable of hurting you from deep. Here’s Reed. tried to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. Donic dishes to Smart. Aton finds Donic. Shoots the three. A rebound by the Timberwolves. It’s Edwards on the wing. Reed gets the bucket. And Reed is a very active player. Love seeing him be this aggressive inside. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now James McDaniel’s defending. Never a bad idea to run the old pick play. Uh-uh. You’re right. And if it produces a slam like that, we’ll probably see more of them. Yeah. Defensive breakdown there. Got to communicate and switch that screen. And Minnesota has possession after the basket by the Lakers. And here’s Deven Jenzo from the arc. Good work defensively by Smart James left side. Pass to Aton and he banks in the layup and it’s a 10-point Laker lead. Boy, that was quick. Already out to a double-digit lead. Yeah, incredible play on both ends of the floor. There may be too big of a gap here. Reed kicks to Devenzo. No one near Edwards as he lets it block. Hits the three-point bomb. Edwards got seven. Well, you have to be careful with Edwards on the arc because he is completely fearless. Go bear against Eaton. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Just five on the clock. Back to McDaniel. No good on the three. Lakers leading by seven. LeBron with it. Picked up by Edwards. Vanderbilt kicks to Smart. Pass to James. Over Edwards and LeBron gets it to go with the assist from Smart. And that’s now nine points for LeBron. It might be the most difficult shot in basketball, the hook shot. And timeout called by Chris Finch. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something. 136 left in the first quarter now. Teen Chenzo still without a basket. Left side. Reed clock at four. Clark finds Randall. Count that one. I tell you what, it’s it’s almost like stealing to watch how he plays the game from this seat. And so it’s Donuch with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. Seven-point differential. Pass to Vanderbilt. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. Here’s Devenenzo. There’s 53 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Here’s Shannon guarded by Donic. A three for Debenzo. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Smart. Clebba kicks to Donic. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Pass to Cleba. Reed with the defensive effort. Randall down low. He’s against Vanderbilt. Nice work defensively to contest that shot right at the rim. Nothing easy. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. it becomes contagious. And a double-digit lead on the scoreboard as we end the first quarter of play. Lakers lead by 12. After this break, we’ll be back with the start of the second quarter on 2K Sports. And welcome back to the second quarter of action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far. and a chance to catch up on some numbers here. Scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, they’re in a great flow. The ball’s moving. All those assisted buckets means the offense is running well. Another thing they’ve done well is push the tempo. They’re running the floor and converting on the fast break. Taking a look at the Lakers. Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Maxi Cleba. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Labraia in at the three spot. And Greg, everyone talks about the importance of basketball IQ. Can you win in the NBA with a low IQ team? Boy, it would be tough. I mean, there’s a reason younger teams typically don’t win at the highest level, but you need to take those lumps and get that experience and learn from those lessons. Three-pointer Randall. He doesn’t hit that one. Lakers leading by 12. Get there. Keep going. Reeves the pass to Labraia. Back to Reeves. I got the outside. Score it. His third straight basket in three tries. And Matador defense. That’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this gap. Outside Smart Reeves with a screen on Reed. Smart misses. Timberl Shannon passes to Devenenzo. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reed. Yeah. way to get there first and be willing to absorb the contact. Vincent’s checked in for Marcus Smart. Lakers leading by 14. Reeves with it. He has seven. Reeves with the screen on Clark. Pass to Vincent. Lorabia with the screen. Los Angeles with another miss. The Timberwolves shooting just 39% from the field. Struggling to find that net. Randall surveying the D trying to get something going. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Reeds. Now about three minutes gone in the second quarter basketball and that one’s good. Larabia and guys, they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Reed with a screen on Reed. Here we go. One-on-one pass to Vanderbilt. Here’s Laoria. Screen and the layup’s good off the glass. Well, Ravy has got four points this quarter. Timberwolves trail by 18. So, what do you like about Jake Larabia the most? He’s a 67 personal forward. Uh, seems to have a pretty good skill set. He’s got a great skill set, Kevin. And what he’s got is he’s a great decision maker. He knows when to pass, when to shoot. Pass to Randall. Nice ball movement by Minnesota. Go the screen. And here’s Devenzo from the arc. and he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Let’s go to the sideline and see what Alli Leforce has dug up for us. Ally, take it away. Thanks a lot. Anthony Edwards keeps a tight circle. He said, “I’ve known my whole crew since I was 13, and that’s the answer to everything.” And the crew includes those voices of wisdom, too. He said, quote, “I keep those types of friends around. I’m not the type that always listens, but I’ll listen to my elders.” All right, Ellie. Thanks a lot. not stopping that go from there is right around 100%. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout looking for a breather and maybe adjusting a thing or two. And so Donuch will bring it up for the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Donic. Los Angeles with another miss. And even without that three ball dropping for him, the defense should have done more on that last play. Well, you love assisted hoops. That’s good offense. Lakers leading by 14. Bonj outside. Reeves with a screen on Devenenzo. Fouled in the active shooting gets the bucket anyway. So, a three-point play chance for him. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. DeAndre comes in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for connect. Free throw good. Reeves. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. LeBron against McDaniel. Vanderbilt gets a wide open look. His three-pointer is off the mark. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards. Edwards getting the close range two. A fantastic decision making big Randall with the right choice there finding the open man inside. Go Bear with the block down low. Here’s Randall out to Edwards. Down to five on the shot clock. And he can’t bank that one in. LeBron with it. Now defended by Randall. LeBron passes to Reeves. And here is Aton. Six points for him. Takes a three. A shot by LeBron. No good. Edwards looking it over. Vanderbilt against Goar outside Edwards. The layup missed. Wow. Missed the easy one right there. Right at the rim, but came up empty. Reeves against Edwards. Oh, in position. It’s stolen by Edwards and the wideopen shot from Devincenzo. No good with the triple. Lakers leading by 15. Outside James sets the pick for LeBron to the inside on the wing. Reeds over Edwards. Los Angeles with another miss. Minnesota’s gone 03 from beyond the arc to start the second quarter. To the middle, tipped away and stolen by Eaton. James with it. McDaniels picks him up inside. It’s stolen by Denzo. Outside Edwards has to Randall. Knocked away on the wing. Reed. 10 points for him. Timberl 15 over in the corner. Edwards down low. Here’s Goar and slam dunk by Gobear. Yeah, he just punched the ticket on that one. That’ll get the job done. Powerful two hand jam out. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach needs a moment to talk things over. In for Dante Devincenzo Hachimura. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Gette comes in for Austin Reed. So, it’s the Lakers now. They led by as many as 18 points. Donic against Con. Can they get it? And it’s Donic missing. Timberwolves trail by 13. outside Edwards. Teardrop shot rebounded by DeAndre Eton. Eightton’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. And the dunk by Hatimura and proving to be effective around the rim. Hakima leaving no doubt about that one. Connley feeling it out. over in the corner. McDaniels. Shot clock at five. No good with the wing jumper. Lakers leading by 15 near the three-point line. It’s Donuch. Go pulls it in. They need a good offensive possession. Yeah, they’ve gone a long time without a bucket. The Timberwolves working the ball around. Edwards no good. And Los Angeles guys uh shooting 56% in this game. Really stringing quality possessions together offensively. Pass to connect. Here’s Donic and Aton throws it down. Great execution of the alley. Of course, having Aiden to throw it to makes it much easier. Outside Edwards and the three ball is good. Edwards got 12 in the game. Yeah, that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Back to Donic and the double up. Donic. Hatchima fouls James. Now here is Hatchima. And that’s a foul called on Nas Reed. That’s his first foul. I I mean I like the call. I thought the defense was just there a little late. Austin Reeves is checked in for the Lakers. There’s 42 seconds left to play here in the half. Five to shoot. Los Angeles needs to get off a shot here and it’s Donic missing. Well, you can’t question his confidence from out there, but it’s not falling. Maybe time for a different approach. Edwards inside. He’s defended by Reed. Reed misses. Donic looking it over from deep LeBron. And so it’s Los Angeles sitting with a comfortable lead up by 14. Their defense has been terrific in this game. Back dynamite on offense. Yeah. And in terms of slowing him down, I think they’re going to have to change things up. Give him some different looks. And so it’s Minnesota with it. They trail by 14. The guard pair will be Connley and Edwards. The big man on the floor for him, Randall and Goar. And it’s McDaniels at the small forward. So that’s the lineup for Minnesota. Off target from outside. Laker shooting has been terrific. 54% on the game. Reeves the pass to LeBron. Reeves with the screen on McDaniels. James with it. Picked up by Edwards. Bomb deep. Reeves hands it from downtown. Reeves has got the first points to start out the third quarter for the Lakers. Randall with a screen for Edwards to the paint. And there’s Randall on the assist from Edwards. Randle’s got 11. You know, they like Randall to be an offensive presence in the paint. They want him to be an option on every possession. To the inside. It’s stolen by Goel. And now Minnesota on the fast break. McDaniels dishes to Edwards from the baseline. Not enough on that one as it misses. And so Donuch will bring it up for Los Angeles. So coach Van Gandhi after four defensive player of the year awards, his last coming in 2024. Do you think Rudy Goar has a chance at another? Well, look, Kevin, I think Rudy continues to play at just as high a level defensively, but now as the game has changed, I think we’re starting to reward guys with those awards who can not only protect the rim and make it tough on teams, but can go out on the perimeter and guard multiple positions. So, I think it’ll be tough for him to get a fit. Well, offensively he’s doing his best to keep them in this game, but they might need someone else to step up as well. Freeze with a screen on outside and the Lakers with another miss. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game from Reeves against Edwards. Edwards with confidence now right there. Edwards uses the screen to create the space he needs. Pass to Donic. Right wing and a wide open look for Hatimura. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got six assists in the game. McDaniels outside. No one near Connley as he lets it go. And again, Minnesota with the triple. Right back at you. Connley’s a counter puncher. He knows when his team needs a lift. LeBron against McDaniels. And they double up James. Eighton wide open again. Los Angeles. Look, if you double him, he’ll make a play for someone else. Pass to McDaniels. Back to Connley. There’s the three. Greavves with the rebound. Lakers leading by 12 over Connley again. Los Angeles. Not surprised at all. He’s shooting it well and scoring points in butches. Now here’s Randall. 11 points in the game. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Takes the three. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got double-digit rebounds now in the game. To the middle. He had stolen by Randall. Nick Daniels with the ball. He’s picked up by Donic. Nick Daniels kicks to Randall. And here’s Edwards from the arc. Knocks down the three ball. Edwards got six points in the quarter. Well, look, Edwards plays with a lot of confidence, which makes him deadly off the catch. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the James. The pass to Donic. Now outside James. Lock at six. Near the three-point line, it’s Donic. It’s hauled in by Edwards. Edwards got four rebounds in this game. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Ali Leforce on the sidelines. Thanks, Kevin. The Lakers going out and acquiring superstar talent. And Luca Donuch, LeBron James said, “Everything I do on the floor, Donic has the ability to do it or even do it better. That’s how great he is. Even at his young age, he’s such a unique, special player, a generational talent. Back to you. They’re clearly happy to have him. Ally, as always, we appreciate your reporting. Here’s Go Bear off the mark. A chance to trim it to single digits. Reeves, the pass to Hakimura. Shooting foul. As the whistle blows, he’ll shoot two free throws. Julius Randle picks one up. And when Pachimura is looking to score, it sometimes forces the D to get aggressive. Love the energy. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, their passing has been just exceptional, and it’s opened up the floor for them on numerous occasions. And another area they’ve separated themselves has been their three-point shooting, making the defense pay for any air space. And the first one at the line is good. Minnesota making a switch here. Evenenzo’s checked in. Off on that one. So he goes one for two at the line. And a fourtime defensive player of the year, Rudy Goar is improving his perimeter defense as well. Greg, it’s helped his overall game. Yeah, teams have looked to pull him outside and test his lateral quickness, but I tell you, he holds up better than you think. And we know his presence at the rim. And here’s Tonic from the arc rebound. Minnesota’s got four rebounds now tonight. Outside Edwards go with a screen for Edwards. shoots over Donic. Shot is good in the Los Angeles leads. Cut down now to just 10 on the basket from Edwards. Yeah, not sure why he faded away there. Sure looked like he had plenty of space. And the foul called on Edwards. That’s foul number two for him. The Lakers making a switch here. Smarts checked in. right here. LeBron outside. Pass to Eaton. It’s stolen by Go. McDaniels outside. Oh, here’s Edwards. Guarded by Donic. Edwards against Donic. Just five to shoot. Tries it from 19. Rebounded by DeAndre Eton’s got 12 rebounds here tonight. Big time effort. LeBron dishes to Donic. Pass to Hatchim. Minnesota with the rebound. McDaniels kicks to Randall. Outside Edwards inside and a miss there with a chance to cut the lead to single digits. Donich with it now defended by Goar. It’s going to be out of bounds. Los Angeles will retain possession and he jumped out to that ball immediately. Great reaction on that deflection. Yeah, and you know they’re tracking the tips and deflections because that tells you who’s affecting the game. Minnesota making a switch here. Shannon’s checked in. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Clea the pass to Vanderbilt. Smart goes in and slam dunk by Smart. A headstrong guy. Smart excels going to the rim. has to go bear. And here’s Edwards. Lets the three fly. LeBron grabs the miss. LeBron’s got four rebounds now tonight. Here’s Donic. Back to James for the three. LeBron James making it look easy from deep. As if the league didn’t have enough to worry about with LeBron. He’s just become a better and better jump shooter. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt a screen on Devenenzo. Vanderbilt misses. Timberwolves trail by 15. Shannon passes to Devenenzo. Now Edwards, no. The Timberwolves need to get a shot off here. And he’s good on the three ball. Even Jenzo’s got himself going there. His first points of the game on the deep ball. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s ready to talk things through with him. The key thing, coach, that Dante D. Vincenzo brings to a team, Miller comes in for Julius Randall and it’s Clark in for Edwards. And then for the Lakers, Jake Lorabia is checked in for LeBron. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Donic. Pass to Labia. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Reeves. Three-pointer. Miller grabs the miss. Well, that’s a shot the defense felt like they could live with and it worked out for him that time. Reed kicks to Miller. Vanderville with the steal. Reeves outside and a miss there on the triple and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Shannon no good. Los Angeles leading by 12. Outside smart. Vanderbilt setting the pick for Reeves offline with his three. Timber shooting 35% or so in the third quarter. Whatever they’re trying is not working. Up top guarded by Smart. Shot clock at five. Back to Devenzo. Clark for three. The Lakers with the rebound. 107 left in the third quarter. Arabia passes to Vanderbilt down low. Here’s Shannon. And there’s the slam dunk to finish it off. Excellent on both ends of that play. Yeah, the steel was sharp, but the slam topped it off. And that is why you want to run off turnovers. Get down the floor before the defense is set. Reeds right side. Baseline. Jay on the way. Both loose. Timberwolves trail by 10. Pass to Clark. Two seconds separating the shot clock and game clock. Arabia passes to Reeves. Here’s Vanderbilt. Back to Reeves. Six to shoot. No good. And they can’t put an end to this drought. Well, through three quarters of play, down double digits. It may be difficult to overcome. Lakers on top, leading by 10. And we’re just moments away from the start of the fourth quarter. Stay with us. And now we have a moment to uh reveal our State Farm assist of the game. And the definition of teamwork right there, guys. I mean, what great communication between them and what a beautiful feed. Well, it’s one of the core parts of the game, reading the defense and creating an easy bucket for your teammate. That is pretty. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. Taking a look at the Lakers, we’ve got Jared Vanderbilt, Austin Reeves out there with Vincent. Then it’s Jake Larabia and it’s Cleba in at the five spot. Randall outside. Shots good by Shannon. Able to get a layup out of that one. That’s just soft defense there. Pass to Vincent. Freeze with the screen on Devincenzo. Fires for three. Here’s Clea and Cleba slams it in. That’s why you never quit battling on the offensive glass. And that’s a nice reward for his effort. The flush. Perfect. Well, that’s what he does. He makes an impact with his activity on the boards. And Randle’s never been one to back down from physical play inside. And he’s not going to start now. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first free throw is good. and good on the second. So he makes them both. We played just over one minute here in the fourth quarter. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with the screen on Devenenzo. Here’s Vincent defended by Dvenenzo. Vanderbilt and the dunk by Vanderbilt. Oh. Oh, inflicting some punishment with the two-hand flush. Ah, they’re going for the throat. Pass to Shannon. And here’s Randall. Vanderbilt defending. Shoots. Randall. No good. Just strong work defensively there in the low post. You got to be tough down in the paint. Yeah, that’s an outstanding defensive stand in close. If the possession ends with a shot in close, you’ve done something right. Pass to Shannon over Reeves. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. They led by as many as 18 points. Now Lorabia and the three off target. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reeves. Even Shenzo can’t hit it. Lakers leading by 15. Reeves the pass to Cleba. Big coming. Big coming. Here’s Vincent and he could not get that. One to go. Lot of contact and he’ll go to the line for two. It’s going to go on Nas Reed. The first one falls. Edwards has come in for Clark. Donic has checked in for Los Angeles. And so Vincent nails both of them and over two and a half minutes in the books here in the fourth. Guys are looking for a spark here. Yeah, a cold stretch offensively for sure. Edwards kicks to Reed, misses the three. Lakers leading by 17. Bass to Labraia. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Shot clock at six. Donic against Edwards. Reed with the rebound. Minnesota’s gotten off to an 0 for two start from downtown here in the fourth quarter. It’s stolen by Vanderbilt. Donic outside. Vincent the pass to Donic. There’s the pick. Great team that time from Edwards. Timberwolves trail by 17. Randle kicks to Edwards. They need this one. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got his fifth rebound in this one. Hey, right here. Right here. Here’s Donic. Pass to Vincent. And here is Cleba. Here’s Donic up and in on the layup. And the Lakers lead by 19. Creating space. Donic will move defenders around. Outside Edwards to the paint. Count the bucket. Coming off a perfectly placed assist. How about how he sets his man up there, runs him right into the screen, and then gets the basket. Now Vincent inside. Stolen by Reed. It’s twoonone. Here’s Dvenenzo and it’s out of bounds. Oh, they say it was last touched by Devenzo. Yeah, couldn’t quite hang on to it. They’re not in a position now where they can afford to be giving it away like that. Rudy Gobear, he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dillingham comes in for Dante Deanchenzo. And then for Los Angeles, Koko’s checked in and James subbed in for Jake Clarabio. Donic outside. pass to connect. Here’s Vanderbilt. Wes to get it to Donic and does. Six on the shot clock. Jacks up a three. Los Angeles with another miss. Timberl 17. Here’s Edwards and finished off by Edwards. Wow. This is how explosive Edwards can be. He finishes with such force at the rim. Los Angeles has gotten just one of four three-pointers to go down for them here in the fourth. Donic bounce pass. Shots good from Vanderbilt. He He’s just adept at gutting the defense in these sets. Give Donic a passing lane and he’ll thread the needle. Back to Edwards. off the mark there with the three-point shot. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. They’ve given up just eight points in the fourth quarter. That’s short off the rim. I’m sure he’d like to have that back. That’s a missed opportunity. Pass to Edwards. Lets it go from deep. Buries the long range jumper. Edwards got five points in the quarter. And that pick takes the D totally out of the equation. Yeah, you’ve got to lock and trail hard. You can’t allow in the clean look. Timberwolves trail by 14. Who’s watching him? Gillingham with it. This one for three. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Vanderbilt’s got six rebounds now in the game. Oh, how about that slam? Somebody got their feelings hurt on that one. Incredible. And what an explosive finisher LeBron is rocking the rim whenever he goes up like that. Here’s Dillingham for three. Edwards outside for Randall. Offensive rebound. Shannon passes to Randall. Goes up again. Rebounded by the Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. He had stolen by Randall. Here’s Edwards bursting off the floor. Edwards hammers it down. Just a ferocious play by Edwards. Taking the contact but staying committed to his finish. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. Beyond the leaning, you could see his feet weren’t set on that screen. Easy call. Look, you can get away with a lot in terms of screens today. You can’t make it that obvious. Nick McDaniels, he’s checked in for the Timberwolves. And so Chris Finch. He wants better shot selection. He told them, “We’re settling, guys. Come on. We’re not being patient out there. We’re not working the ball around. That has to change right now.” All right, Allie. Thanks. drains it from beyond the arc and the Lakers lead by 17. And we’re so used to Donic operating with the ball in his hands, but it’s good to see him mix it up and work off the catch. Conley sets a screen for Edwards. Gets a very good look and converts. Edwards got nine points now in the quarter. Well, sometimes you need more than just your stars, though. They’ve got to run something to get the other guys good looks. And here’s Donic from the arc. Yes. And it’s LeBron picking up the assist. Great game for him. Double double now. 11 points and 10 rebounds. Rando kicks to Connley. Pass to Edwards. Here’s Go. Holy cow. What a bailout. Too much Rudy Gobear can take a lot of contact down low. Now Donic Eightton outside. Here’s the shot. Buries the jumper. Timber trail by 18 outside. Edwards. Here’s McDaniels. Connley with a screen on LeBron outside. Edwards. Releases from 15. It’s in. His shot is pure. Well, when Edwards gets this hot, all an opponent can hope to do is limit the damage. Donic. Now Hachimura Reeves outside missed on the three. Well, the defense catches a break there. You expect him to make those. Connley and he banks the layup in. And not just a jump shooter. Connley is also adept at finding real estate close to the rim. Lakers leading by 14. Now Donic. James in the post, working on McDaniels. And tonight’s battle is going to end with a very clear winner, leaving nothing to chance. Impressive win for the Lakers. This was a physical physical game. Yeah, I mean, they were aware of the rotations defensively and were able to attack the rim and a great team effort tonight helped in large part with contributions and the nice night it ended up being for Luca Donuch. He was everywhere defensively, offensively. The effort we saw from him tonight, I think was the difference. Oh, what an assist leading him to the bucket. Inspired tonight. They fought hard and at crucial points just made the plays. Yeah, they saved their best basketball for this home stretch and they certainly earned this win. Go. Oh, no good on the dunk. Come on. You can’t be doing that. I know these guys want to put on a show, but you can’t pass up scoring opportunities. Donic and he uses the glass on the layup. Yeah, they’ve sucked the energy out of this arena. Tremendous effort on the road. Yeah, and winning games on the road is huge, especially when you get them in such a convincing fashion. outside. Connley outside for Randall and again with the rebound. He hauls in his 20th rebound. Dominating the glass and so it’s the Lakers. Here we go. So, the Lakers will get the first possession. Here are the starters for Los Angeles. Aimura is the four with eight playing in the five. Reeves and its shooting guard. James is the small forward and it’s Donic in at the one. And Greg when you’re dealing with this Timberwolves team fairly deep with size up front that can wear you down over the course of a game and especially in a playoff series. a real strength of this team. Now LeBron following the miss by Michael Connley from G. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. Nailed from three-point land. Good awareness on Aton’s part spotting the open teammate. We’re now joined by our sideline reporter Ally Leforce. Ally, it’s all yours. Well, I had a chance to catch up with head coach Chris Finch. As you might expect, we talked about the game plan for defending Luca Donic. Coach stressed that they’ll double team him often, saying, “Well, we want him to feel challenged on every single shot. I don’t want him to get exactly what he wants out there.” Sounds like Luca should expect hands in his face at all times tonight. Back to you, Kevin. Terrific, Ally. We appreciate the report. Now, here’s LeBron following the miss by Julius Randall. Five on the clock. Unloads. No good from LeBron. Well, that wasn’t a bad shot. Defense playing a little loose there. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in. Three-pointer Randall. That’s in there. Connley with the assist. And you don’t see that kind of quickness from your bigs very often. Randall with great hands there. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside. And here is Hatchim. And again, Los Angeles with a triple. Matching baskets from the perimeter. An earmark of today’s game. Yeah, sometimes you get in a shootout like this, but you just hope that you can get a stop first. Back to Edwards. Laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Well, look, it’s tough to keep Edwards out of the lane and tough to stop him once he’s in there. First quarter basketball just over two and a half minutes played. LeBron is doubled. And the dunk by Hatchim. A little artistry in the painted area converting against the size. Yeah, he didn’t let the defense affect him there. He just kept his focus. Randall finds Edwards over Reeves and finished off by Goar and Goar showing how much he wanted that basket. Reeves outside. Just under three and a half minutes gone here in the first quarter. Hatchima with a screen on Edwards and the dunk by Hatchima. And for a power forward, he can sure get up. I mean, because of that leaping ability, it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Connley, the pass to Edwards. Edwards with another miss. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall and the shot goes in. Reeves has got five now. Nice little floater there. Soft touch outside. Edwards. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Edwards with another miss. Lakers leading by five. Here’s LeBron. Good. Nice job down low. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Now here’s Edwards. Go Bear with a screen on Reeds. Here’s Edwards. Another miss by Minnesota. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. They could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Too many empty possessions right now. They need the basket. Outside Connley. Here’s Randall. Another miss by Minnesota. Lakers leading by nine. James kicks to Donic. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron against Conway. To the paint. Here’s Aton. Go with the block. And when Goa is playing with this kind of aggression on that end, there aren’t many better at defending it. Yeah. A nice strong finish on the inside. But Greg, that’s what he does. He’s got the dunker mentality. You know, Stan, even at this late stage of his career, Mike Connley brings tremendous value to the team. He sure does, Kevin. And and look, we know this. No one brings more discipline and professionalism on a nightly basis. He keeps this team poised. He keeps his team organized and he’s a great mentor to the young players on this team. Here’s Hatimarov following the bucket by the Timberwolves. Hedge passes to Eightton. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Eightton’s got his second basket of the game. Well, there’s the skill of Aton nailing the jump shot with confidence. McDaniels outside to Randall. Go Bear with a screen for Randall. Go down low. He’s covered by Hatchima. Reeves again. Teds. can change shot and contact on the shot. So, he’ll be shooting free throws here. Well, coach, we know there’s a lot of expectations tied to a number one pick and sometimes they fall flat, but that has not been the case so far with Anthony Edwards. Oh, it sure as heck hasn’t, Kevin. But I think it starts with Anthony Edwards welcomed the expectations. He wanted the expectations and he has pushed himself to play to that level on a nightly basis and he’s done it. First one falls for it. Greg Anthony Edwards is full of confidence and it’s beautiful to watch and rightfully so. Ant can do it all on the floor as complete of a wing as you’ll find in our league. Reed he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dante Debenzo comes in for Michael Conley and Edwards drops them both. Just solid. Really one of the very best there is at the free throw line. Pass to Vanderbilt. And here’s James outside. Connects from three-point range. LeBron’s got five points so far. Showing some range. LeBron more than capable of hurting you from deep. Here’s Reed. tried to come right back with the three of his own, but it’s no good. Donic dishes to Smart. Aton finds Donic. Shoots the three. The rebound by the Timberwolves. It’s Edwards on the wing. Reed gets the bucket. And Reed is a very active player. Love seeing him be this aggressive inside. Bass to Vanderbilt. Now James McDaniel’s defending. Never a bad idea to run the old pick play. Uh-uh. You’re right. And if it produces a slam like that, you’ll probably see more of them. Yeah. Defensive breakdown there. Got to communicate and switch that screen. And Minnesota has possession after the basket by the Lakers. And here’s Steven Genenzo from the arc. Good work defensively by Smart James left side. Pass to Aton and he banks in the layup and it’s a 10-point Laker lead. Boy, that was quick. Already out to a double-digit lead. Yeah, incredible play on both ends of the floor. There may be too big of a gap here. Reed kicks to Devenenzo. No one near Edwards as he lets it block. Hits the three-point bomb. Edwards got seven. Well, you have to be careful with Edwards on the arc because he is completely furious. Go bear against. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Just five on the clock. Out to McDaniel. No good on the three. Lakers leading by seven. LeBron with it. Picked up by Edwards. Vanderbilt kicks to Smart. Pass to James over Edwards and LeBron gets it to go with the assist from Smart. And that’s now nine points for LeBron. It might be the most difficult shot in basketball, the hook shot. And timeout called by Chris Finch. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something. 136 left in the first quarter now. Devenzo still without a basket left side. Reed clock at four. Clark finds Randall. Count that one. I tell you what, it’s it’s almost like stealing to watch how he plays the game from this seat. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. Seven-point differential. Pass to Vanderbilt. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. Here’s Devenenzo. There’s 53 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Here’s Shannon guarded by Donic. A three for Debenzo. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Smart. Clebba kicks to Donic. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Pass to Cleba. Reed with the defensive effort. Randall down low. He’s against Vanderbilt. Nice work defensively to contest that shot right at the rim. Nothing easy. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net, it becomes contagious. And a double-digit lead on the scoreboard as we end the first quarter of play. Lakers lead by 12. After this break, we’ll be back with the start of the second quarter on 2K Sports. And welcome back to the second quarter of action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far. And a chance to catch up on some numbers here. Scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, they’re in a great flow. The ball’s moving. All those assisted buckets means the offense is running well. Another thing they’ve done well is push the tempo. They’re running the floor and converting on the fast break. Taking a look at the Lakers. Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Maxi Cleba. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Lorravia in at the three spot. And Greg, everyone talks about the importance of basketball IQ. Can you win in the NBA with a low IQ team? Boy, it would be tough. I mean, there’s a reason younger teams typically don’t win at the highest level, but you need to take those lumps and get that experience and learn from those lessons. Three-pointer Randall. He doesn’t hit that one. Lakers leading by 12. Get it. Reeves. The pass to Labravia. Back to Reeves. I got the outside. Score it. His third straight basket in three tries. And Matador defense. That’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this gap. Outside Smart Reeds with a screen on Reed. Smart misses. Timberwolves trail by 14. Shannon passes to Devenzo. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reed. Yeah, way to get there first and be willing to absorb the contact. Vincent’s checked in for Marcus Smart. Lakers leading by 14. Reeves with it. He has seven. Reeves with a screen on Clark. Pass to Vincent. Laabia with the screen. Los Angeles with another miss. The Timberwol shooting just 39% from the field. Struggling to find that net. Randall surveying the D. Trying to get something going. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Reeds. Now about three minutes gone in this second quarter basketball and that one’s good. Larabia. And guys, they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Reed with a screen on Reed. Here we go. One-on-one pass to Vanderbilt. Here’s Larabia. Screen. Screen. Screen and the layup’s good off the glass. Well, Ravy has got four points this quarter. Timberwolves trail by 18. So, what do you like about Jake Lorabia the most? He’s a 67 personal forward. Uh, seems to have a pretty good skill set. He’s got a great skill set, Kevin. And what he’s got is he’s a great decision maker. He knows when to pass, when to shoot, Randall. Nice ball movement by Minnesota. Go the screen and here’s Devenzo from the arc. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Let’s go to the sideline and see what Ally Leforce has dug up for us. Ally, take it away. Thanks a lot. Anthony Edwards keeps a tight circle. He said, “I’ve known my whole crew since I was 13, and that’s the answer to everything.” And the crew includes those voices of wisdom, too. He said, quote, I keep those types of friends around. I’m not the type that always listens, but I’ll listen to my elders. All right, Ally, thanks a lot. Not stopping that. Go bear from there is right around 100%. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout, looking for a breather and maybe adjusting a thing or two. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Donic. Los Angeles with another miss. And even without that three ball dropping for him, the defense should have done more on that last play. Well, you love assisted hoops. That’s good offense. Lakers leading by 14. Bonjic outside. Revenenzo fouled in the act of shooting. Gets the bucket anyway. So, a three-point play chance for him. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. DeAndre comes in for Maxi Cleba and James Subden for connect. Free throw good. Reeves. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. LeBron against McDaniel. Vanderbilt gets a wideopen look. His three-pointer is off the mark. Timber rolls trail by 17. Here’s Edwards. Edwards getting the close range two. A fantastic decision making big Randall with the right choice there finding the open man inside. Go Bear with the block down low. Here’s Randall. Out to Edwards. Down to five on the shot clock and he can’t bank that one in. LeBron with it now defended by Randall. LeBron passes to Reeves. And here is Aton. Six points for him. Takes a three. A shot by LeBron. No good. Edwards looking it over. Vanderbilt against Goar outside Edwards. The layup missed. Wow. Missed the easy one right there. Right at the rim, but came up empty. Reeves against Edwards. Oh, Eightton in position. It’s stolen by Edwards. And the wideopen shot from Devenzo. No good with the triple. Lakers leading by 15. Outside James sets the pick for LeBron to the inside on the wing. Reeds over Edwards. Los Angeles with another miss. Minnesota’s gone 03 from beyond the arc to start the second quarter. To the middle. Tipped away and stolen by Eaton. James with it. Ed Daniels picks him up inside. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Outside Edwards to Randall. Knocked away on the wing. Reed. 10 points for him. Timberwolves trail by 15. Over in the corner, Edward down low. Here’s Goar and slam dunk by Gobear. Yeah, he just punched the ticket on that one. That’ll get the job done. Powerful two hand jam. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach needs a moment to talk things over. In for Dante Debenzo Hatchima, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Connect comes in for Austin Reed. So it’s the Lakers now. They led by as many as 18 points. Donic against Conor. Can they get it? And it’s Donic. missing. Timberwolves trail by 13. Outside Edwards, teardrop shot rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. And the dunk by Hatimura and proving to be effective around the rim. Hakimura leaving no doubt about that one. Connley feeling it out over in the corner. McDaniels. Shot clock at five. No good with the wing jumper. Lakers leading by 15. Near the three-point line. It’s Donic. Go pulls it in. They need a good offensive possession. Yeah, they’ve gone a long time without a bucket. The Timberwolves working the ball around. Edwards no good. And Los Angeles guys uh shooting 56% in this game. Really stringing quality possessions together offensively. Pass to connect. Here’s Dantic and Aton throws it down. Great execution of the alley. Of course, having Aiden to throw it to makes it much easier. Outside Edwards and the three ball is good. Edwards got 12 in the game. That’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Back to Donic. And they double up. Donic. Hatchimura fouls James. Now here is Hachimura. And that’s a foul called on Nas Reed. That’s his first foul. I I mean I like the call. I thought the defense was just there a little late. Austin Reeves is checked in for the Lakers. There’s 42 seconds left to play here in the half. Five to shoot. Los Angeles needs to get off a shot here and it’s Donic missing. Well, you can’t question his confidence from out there, but it’s not falling. Maybe time for a different approach. Edwards inside. He’s defended by Reed. Reed misses. Donic looking it over from deep LeBron. And so it’s Los Angeles sitting with a comfortable lead up by 14. Their defense has been terrific in this game. Back dynamite on offense. Yeah. And in terms of slowing him down, I think they’re going to have to change things up. Give him some different looks. And so it’s Minnesota with it. They trail by 14. The guard pair will be Connley and Edwards. The big man on the floor for him, Randall and Goar. And it’s McDaniels at the small forward. So that’s the lineup for Minnesota. Off target from outside. Lakers shooting has been terrific. 54% on the game. Reeves the pass to LeBron. Reeves with a screen on McDaniel. James with it. Picked up by Edwards. Bomb deep. Reeves hands it from downtown. Reeves has got the first points to start out the third quarter for the Lakers. Randall with a screen for Edwards to the paint. And there’s Randall on the assist from Edwards. Randle’s got 11. You know, they like Randall to be an offensive presence in the paint. They want him to be an option on every possession. To the inside. It’s stolen by Goelair. And now Minnesota on the fast break. McDaniels dishes to Edwards from the baseline. Not enough on that one as it misses. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. So coach Van Gundi, after four defensive player of the year awards, his last coming in 2024, do you think Rudy Goar has a chance at another? Well, look, Kevin, I think Rudy continues to play at just as high a level defensively, but now as the game has changed, I think we’re starting to reward guys with those awards who can not only protect the rim and make it tough on teams, but can go out on the perimeter and guard multiple positions. So, I think it’ll be tough for him to get it fit. Well, offensively he’s doing his best to keep them in this game, but they might need someone else to step up as well. Freeze with a screen on outside and the Lakers with another miss. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game. Reeves against Edwards. Edwards with confidence. Now right there, Edwards uses the screen to create the space he needs. Pass to Donic. Right wing and a wide open look for Hatimura. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got six assists in the game. McDaniels outside. No one near Connley as he lets it go. And again, Minnesota with the triple. Right back at you. Connley’s a counter puncher. He knows when his team needs a lift. LeBron against McDaniels. And they double up James. Eighton wide open again. Los Angeles. Look, if you double him, he’ll make a play for someone else. Pass to McDaniels. Back to Connley. There’s the three. Reeves with the rebound. Lakers leading by 12 over Connley again. Los Angeles. Not surprised at all. He’s shooting it well and scoring points in butches. Now here’s Randall. 11 points in the game. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Takes the three. It’s held in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got doubledigit rebounds now in the game. To the middle. It’s stolen by Randall. Nick Daniels with the ball. He’s picked up by Donic. McDaniels kicks to Randall. And here’s Edwards from the arc. Knocks down the three ball. Edwards got six points in the quarter. Well, look, Edwards plays with a lot of confidence which makes him deadly off the catch. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the James. The pass to Donic. Now Eightton outside James. Pocket six near the three-point line. It’s Donuch. It’s hauled in by Edwards. Edwards got four rebounds in this game. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Alli Leor on the sidelines. Thanks, Kevin. The Lakers going out and acquiring superstar talent and Luca Donic. LeBron James said, “Everything I do on the floor, Donic has the ability to do it or even do it better. That’s how great he is. Even at his young age, he’s such a unique special player, a generational talent. Back to you.” They’re clearly happy to have him. Ally, as always, we appreciate your reporting. Here’s Goar off the mark and a chance to trim it to single digits. Reeves the pass to Hatchima shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws. Julius Randle picks one up. And when Pachimura is looking to score, it sometimes forces the D to get aggressive. Love the energy. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, their passing has been just exceptional, and it’s opened up the floor for them on numerous occasions. And another area they’ve separated themselves has been their three-point shooting, making the defense pay for any air space. And the first one at the line is good. Minnesota making a switch here. Venenzo’s checked in. off on that one. So, he goes one for two at the line. And a fourtime defensive player of the year, Rudy Goar is improving his perimeter defense as well. Greg, it’s helped his overall game. Yeah, teams have looked to pull him outside and test his lateral quickness, but I tell you, he holds up better than you think. And we know his presence at the rim. And here’s Donic from the arc. Rebound Minnesota. Pandle’s got four rebounds now tonight. Outside Edwards go with a screen for Edwards. shoots over Donic. Shot is good in the Los Angeles leads. Cut down now to just 10 on the basket from Edwards. Yeah, not sure why he faded away there. Sure looked like he had plenty of space. And the foul called on Edwards. That’s foul number two for him. The Lakers making a switch here. Smarts checked in. LeBron outside. Pass to Aton. It’s stolen by Goar. McDaniels outside. Now here’s Edwards. Guarded by Donic. Edwards against Donic. Just five to shoot. tries it from 19. Rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got 12 rebounds here tonight. Big time effort. LeBron dishes to Donic. Pass to Hatchima. Minnesota with the rebound. McDaniels kicks to Randall outside. Edwards inside and a miss there with a chance to cut the lead to single digits. Donich with it now. Defended by Goar. It’s going to be out of bounds. Los Angeles will retain possession. And he jumped out to that ball immediately. Great reaction on that deflection. Yeah, and you know they’re tracking the tips and deflections because that tells you who’s affecting the game. Minnesota making a switch here. Shannon’s checked in. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Clebba. The pass to Vanderbilt. Smart goes in and slam dunk by Smart. A headstrong guy. Smart excels going to the rim. has to go bear. And here’s Edwards. Lets the three fly. LeBron grabs the miss. LeBron’s got four rebounds now tonight. Here’s Donic. Back to James for the three. LeBron James making it look easy from deep. As if the league didn’t have enough to worry about with LeBron. He’s just become a better and better jump shooter. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt a screen on Devenenzo. Vanderbilt misses. Timber rolls trail by 15. Roll it. Shannon passes to Devenzo. Now Edwards no. The Timberwolves need to get a shot off here. And he’s good on the three ball. Even Jenzo’s got himself going there. His first points of the game on the deep ball. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s ready to talk things through with him. The key thing, coach, that Dante D. Vincenzo brings to a team. Miller comes in for Julius Randle and it’s Clark in for Edwards. And then for the Lakers, Jake Loravia checked in for LeBron. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Donic. Pass to Labraia. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Reeves. Three-pointer. Miller grabs the miss. Well, that’s a shot the defense felt like they could live with and it worked out for him that time. Reed kicks to Miller. Vanderbilt with the steal. Reeves outside and a miss there on the triple and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Shannon no good. Los Angeles leading by 12. Outside Smart. Vanderbilt setting the pick for Reeves offline with his three. Timber shooting 35% or so in the third quarter. Whatever they’re trying is not working. Up top. Devenenzo guarded by Smart. Shot clock at five. Back to Devenenzo. Clark for three. The Lakers with the rebound. 107 left in the third quarter. Arabia passes to Vanderbilt down low. Here’s Shannon. And there’s the slam dunk to finish it off. Excellent on both ends of that play. Yeah, the steel was sharp, but the slam topped it off. And that is why you want to run off turnovers. Get down the floor before the defense is set. Reeds right side. Baseline. Jay on the way. Both loose. Timberwolves trail by 10. Pass to Clark. Two seconds separating the shot clock and game clock. Arabia passes to Reeves. Here’s Vanderbilt. Back to Reeves. Six to shoot. No good. And they can’t put an end to this drought. Well, through three quarters of play, down double digits. It may be difficult to overcome. Lakers on top, leading by 10. And we’re just moments away from the start of the fourth quarter. Stay with us. And now we have a moment to uh reveal our State Farm assist of the game. And the definition of teamwork right there, guys. I mean, what great communication between them and what a beautiful feed. Well, it’s one of the core parts of the game, reading the defense and creating an easy bucket for your teammate. That is pretty. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. Taking a look at the Lakers, we’ve got Jared Vanderbilt, Austin Reeves out there with Vincent. Then it’s Jake Larabia and it’s Cleba in at the five spot. Randall outside shots good by Shannon able to get a layup out of that one. That’s just soft defense there. Pass to Vincent with the screen on Devanchenzo. Fires for three. Here’s Cleba and Cleba slams it in. That’s why you never quit battling on the offensive glass. And that’s a nice reward for his effort. The flush. Perfect. Well, that’s what he does. He makes an impact with his activity on the boards. And Randle’s never been one to back down from physical play inside. And he’s not going to start now. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first free throw is good. and good on the second. So he makes them both. We played just over one minute here in the fourth quarter. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with the screen on Denenzo. Here’s Vincent defended by Denenzo. Vanderbilt and the dunk by Vanderbilt. Oh. Oh. Inflicting some punishment with the two-hand flush. Ah, they’re going for the throat. Pass to Shannon. And here’s Randall. Vanderbilt defending. Shoots. Randall no good. Just strong work defensively there in the low post. You got to be tough down in the paint. Yeah, that’s an outstanding defensive stand in close. If the possession ends with a shot in close, you’ve done something right. Pass to Shannon over Reeves. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. They led by as many as 18 points. Now Larabia and the three off target. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reeves. Even Chenzo can’t hit it. Lakers leading by 15. Reeves. The pass to Cleba. Good coming. Coming. Here’s Vincent. And he could not get that one to go. Lot of contact. And he’ll go to the line for two. It’s going to go on Nas Reed. The first one falls. Edwards has come in for Clark. Donic has checked in for Los Angeles. And so Vincent nails both of them and over two and a half minutes in the books here in the fourth. Guys are looking for a spark here. Yeah, a cold stretch offensively for sure. Edwards kicks to Reed, misses the three. Lakers leading by 17. Pass to Labraia. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Nice ball movement there by the Lakers. Shot clock at six. Donic against Edwards. Reed with the rebound. Minnesota’s gotten off to an 0 for two start from downtown here in the fourth quarter. It’s stolen by Vanderbilt. Donic outside. Vincent the pass to Donic. There’s the pick. Great team that time from Edwards. Timberwolves trail by 17. Randall kicks to Edwards. They need this one. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got his fifth rebound in this one. Hey yo, right here. right here. Here’s Donic. Pass to Vincent. And here is Clebo. Here’s Donic up and in on the layup. And the Lakers lead by 19. Creating space. Donic will move defenders around outside. Edwards to the paint. Count the bucket. coming off a perfectly placed assist. Now, how about how he sets his man up there, runs him right into the screen, and then gets the basket. Hey, right there. Right there. Now Vincent inside. Stolen by Reed. It’s twoon-one. Here’s Dvenenzo. And it’s out of bounds. Well, they say it was last touched by Dvenenzo. Yeah. Couldn’t quite hang on to it. They’re not in a position now where they can afford to be giving it away like that. Rudy Gobear, he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dillingham comes in for Dante Devincenzo. And then for Los Angeles, Koko’s checked in. And James subbed in for Jake Clarabio. Donic outside. Pass to connect. Here’s Vanderbilt. Wants to get it to Donic and does. Six on the shot clock. Jacks up a three. Los Angeles with another miss. Jimber rolls trail by 17. Here’s Edwards and finished off by Edwards. Wow. This is how explosive Edwards can be. He finishes with such force at the rim. Los Angeles has gotten just one of four three-pointers to go down for them here in the fourth. Donic bounce pass. The shots good from Vanderbilt. He He’s just adept at gutting the defense in these sets. Give Donic a passing lane and he’ll thread the needle. Back to Edwards off the mark there with the three-point shot. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. They’ve given up just eight points in the fourth quarter. That’s short off the rim. I’m sure he’d like to have that back. That’s a missed opportunity. Pass to Edwards. Lets it go from deep. Buries the long range jumper. Edwards got five points in the quarter. And that pick takes the deep totally out of the equation. Yeah, you’ve got to lock and trail hard. You can’t allow in the clean look. Timberwolves trail by 14. Who’s watching him? Dillingham with it. This one for three. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Vanderbilt’s got six rebounds now in the game. Oh, how about that slam? Somebody got their feelings hurt on that one. Incredible. And what an explosive finisher LeBron is rocking the rim whenever he goes up like that. Here’s Dillingham for three. Edwards outside for Randall. Offensive rebound. Shannon passes to Randall. Goes up again. Rebounded by the Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. It’s stolen by Randall. Here’s Edwards bursting off the floor. Edwards hammers it down. Just a ferocious play by Edwards taking the contact but staying committed to his finish. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. Beyond the leaning, you could see his feet weren’t set on that screen. Easy call. Look, you can get away with a lot in terms of screens today, but you can’t make it that obvious. Nick McDaniels, he’s checked in for the Timberwolves. And so Chris Finch, he wants better shot selection. He told them, “We’re settling, guys. Come on. We’re not being patient out there. We’re not working the ball around. That has to change right now.” All right, Ally, thanks. Trains it from beyond the arc and the Lakers lead by 17. And we’re so used to Donic operating with the ball in his hands, but it’s good to see him mix it up and work off the catch. Conley sets a screen for Edwards. gets a very good look and converts. Edwards got nine points now in the quarter. Well, sometimes you need more than just your stars though. They’ve got to run something to get the other guys good looks. And here’s Donic from the arc. Yes. And it’s LeBron picking up the assist. Great game for him. Double double now. 11 points and 10 rebounds. You got him. Randle kicks to Connley. Pass to Edwards. Here’s Goar. Holy cow. What a bailout. Too much. Rudy Goar can take a lot of contact down low. Nowon. Now Donic. Eighton outside. Here’s the shot. Buries the jumper. Timberl trail by 18 outside. Edwards. Here’s McDaniels. Connley with the screen on LeBron. Outside. Edwards. releases from 15. It’s in. His shot is pure. Well, when Edwards gets this hot, all an opponent can hope to do is limit the damage. Donic now. Hatimura. Reeves outside. Missed on the three. Well, the defense catches a break there. You expect him to make those. Connley and he banks the layup in. Yeah. Not just a jump shooter. Connley is also adept at finding real estate close to the rim. Lakers leading by 14. Now Donic. James in the post working on McDaniels. And tonight’s battle is going to end with a very clear winner leaving nothing to chance. Impressive win for the Lakers. This was a physical physical game. Yeah, I mean they were aware of the rotations defensively and were able to attack the rim and a great team effort tonight. Helped in large part with contributions and the nice night it ended up being for Luca Donic. He was everywhere defensively, offensively. The effort we saw from him tonight I think was the difference. Eighton. Oh, what an assist leading him to the bucket. Inspired tonight. They fought hard and at crucial points just made the plays. Yeah, they saved their best basketball for this home stretch and they certainly earned this win. Go. Oh, no good on the dunk. Come on. You can’t be doing that. I know these guys want to put on a show, but you can’t pass up scoring opportunities. Donic. And he uses the glass on the layup. Yeah, they’ve sucked the energy out of this arena. Tremendous effort on the road. Yeah. And winning games on the road is huge, especially when you get them in such a convincing fashion. Outside. Connley outside for Randall. And again with the rebound. He holds in his 20th rebound. Dominating the glass. And so it’s the Lakers. Heat. Heat. Here we go. So, the Lakers will get the first possession. Here are the starters for Los Angeles. Hachimura is the four with eight inton playing the five. Reeves and it shooting guard. James is the small forward and it’s Donic in at the one. And Greg, when you’re dealing with this Timberwolves team fairly deep with size up front, that can wear you down over the course of a game and especially in a playoff series. A real strength of this team. Now LeBron following the miss by Michael Connley from G. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. Nailed from three-point land. Good awareness on Aton’s part spotting the open teammate. We’re now joined by our sideline reporter Ally Leforce. Ally, it’s all yours. Well, I had a chance to catch up with head coach Chris Finch. As you might expect, we talked about the game plan for defending Luca Donic. Coach stressed that they’ll double team him often, saying, quote, “We want him to feel challenged on every single shot. I don’t want him to get exactly what he wants out there.” Sounds like Luca should expect hands in his face at all times tonight. Back to you, Kevin. Terrific, Ally. We appreciate the report. Now, here’s LeBron following the miss by Julius Randle. Five on the clock. Unloads. No good from LeBron. Well, that wasn’t a bad shot. Defense playing a little loose there. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in. Three-pointer Randall. That’s in there. Connley with the assist. And you don’t see that kind of quickness from your bigs very often. Randall with great hands there. Pass to Eightton. LeBron outside. And here is Hatche Murray. And again, Los Angeles with the triple. Matching baskets from the perimeter. An earmark of today’s game. Yeah, sometimes you get in a shootout like this, but you just hope that you can get a stop first. Back to Edwards. Laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Well, look, it’s tough to keep Edwards out of the lane and tough to stop him once he’s in there. First quarter basketball just over two and a half minutes played. LeBron has doubled and the dunk by Hatim Murray. A little artistry in the painted area converting against the size. Yeah, he didn’t let the defense affect him there. He just kept his focus. Randall finds Edwards over Reeves and finished off by Goar. And Goar showing how much he wanted that basket. Reeves outside. Just under three and a half minutes gone here in the first quarter. Hatchima with a screen on Edwards. And the dunk by Hatimura. And for a power forward, he can sure get up. I mean, because of that leaping ability, it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Conlay the pass to Edwards. Edwards with another miss. Yeah. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. And the shot goes in. Reeves has got five now. Nice little floater there. Soft touch. Lakers leading by five. Here’s LeBron. Good. Nice job down low. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burrows his way inside and takes advantage. Now here’s Edwards. Go with a screen on Reeds. Here’s Edwards. Another miss by Minnesota. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. They could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Too many empty possessions right now. They need the basket. Outside Connley. Here’s Randall. Another miss by Minnesota. Lakers leading by nine. James kicks to Donic. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron against Con to the paint. Here’s Hayton. Goar with the block. And when Goa is playing with this kind of aggression on that end, there aren’t many better at defending it. Yeah. A nice strong finish on the inside. But Greg, that’s what he does. He’s got the dunker mentality. You know, Stan, even at this late stage of his career, Mike Connley brings tremendous value to the team. He sure does, Kevin. And and look, we know this. No one brings more discipline and professionalism on a nightly basis. He keeps this team poised. He keeps his team organized and he’s a great mentor to the young players on this team. Here’s Hatimarov following the bucket by the Timberwolves. Anage passes to Eightton. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Eightton’s got his second basket of the game. Well, there’s the skill of Aton nailing the jump shot with confidence. McDaniels outside. Pass to Randall. Go Bear with a screen for Randall. Go down low. He’s covered by Hatchima. Reeves again. Teds. Second chance shot and contact on the shot, so he’ll be shooting free throws here. Well, coach, we know there’s a lot of expectations tied to a number one pick and sometimes they fall flat, but that has not been the case so far with Anthony Edwards. Oh, it sure as heck hasn’t, Kevin. But I think it starts with Anthony Edwards welcomed the expectations. He wanted the expectations and he has pushed himself to play to that level on a nightly basis and he’s done it. First one falls for it. Greg Anthony Edwards is full of confidence and it’s beautiful to watch and rightfully so. Ant can do it all on the floor as complete of a wing as you’ll find in our league. Reed he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dante Devenenzo comes in for Michael Conley and Edwards drops them both. Just solid. Really one of the very best there is at the free throw line. D to Vanderbilt. And here’s James outside. Connects from three-point range. LeBron’s got five points so far. Showing some range. LeBron more than capable of hurting you from deep. Here’s Reed. tried to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. Donic dishes to Smart. Aton finds Donic. Shoots the three. A rebound by the Timberwolves. It’s Edwards on the wing. Reed gets the bucket. And Reed is a very active player. Love seeing him be this aggressive inside. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now James McDaniel’s defending. Never a bad idea to run the old pick play. Uh-uh. You’re right. And if it produces a slam like that, we’ll probably see more of them. Yeah. Defensive breakdown there. Got to communicate and switch that screen. And Minnesota has possession after the basket by the Lakers. And here’s Deven Jenzo from the arc. Good work defensively by Smart James left side. Pass to Eightton and he banks in the layup and it’s a 10-point Laker lead. Boy, that was quick. Already out to a double-digit lead. Yeah, incredible play on both ends of the floor. There may be too big of a gap here. Reed kicks to Devenzo. No one near Edwards as he lets it block. Hits the three-point foul. Edwards got seven. Well, you have to be careful with Edwards on the arc because he is completely fearless. Go bear against Eaton. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Just five on the clock. Back to McDaniel. No good on the three. Lakers leading by seven. LeBron with it. Picked up by Edwards. Vanderbilt kicks to Smart. Pass to James over Edwards and LeBron gets it to go with the assist from Smart. And that’s now nine points for LeBron. It might be the most difficult shot in basketball, the hook shot. And timeout called by Chris Finch. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something. 136 left in the first quarter now. Devenzo still without a basket. Left side. Reed. Clock at four. Clark finds Randall. Count that one. I tell you what, it’s it’s almost like stealing to watch how he plays the game from this seat. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. Seven-point differential. Pass to Vanderbilt. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. Here’s Denenzo. There’s 53 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Here’s Shannon guarded by Donic. A three for Deanzo. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Smart. Clebba kicks to Donic. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Pass to Cleba. Reed with the defensive effort. Randall down low. He’s against Vanderbilt. Nice work defensively to contest that shot right at the rim. Nothing easy. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. it becomes contagious. And a double-digit lead on the scoreboard as we end the first quarter of play. Lakers lead by 12. After this break, we’ll be back with the start of the second quarter on 2K Sports. And welcome back to the second quarter of action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far. and a chance to catch up on some numbers here. Scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, they’re in a great flow. The ball’s moving. All those assisted buckets means the offense is running well. Another thing they’ve done well is push the tempo. They’re running the floor and converting on the fast break. Taking a look at the Lakers. Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Maxi Cleba. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Loravia in at the three spot. And Greg, everyone talks about the importance of basketball IQ. Can you win in the NBA with a low IQ team? Boy, it would be tough. I mean, there’s a reason younger teams typically don’t win at the highest level, but you need to take those lumps and get that experience and learn from those lessons. Three-pointer Randall. He doesn’t hit that one. Lakers leading by 12. Get there. Get down. moving Reeves. The pass to Larabia. Back to Reeves. I got the outside. Score it. His third straight basket in three tries. And Matador defense. That’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this deficit. Outside Smart Reeves with a screen on Reed. Smart misses. Timberl Shannon passes to Devenenzo. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reed. Yeah, way to get there first and be willing to absorb the contact. Vincent’s checked in for Marcus Smart. Lakers leading by 14. Reeves with it. He has seven. Reeves with a screen on Clark. Pass to Vincent. Lorabia with the screen. Los Angeles with another miss. The Timberwolves shooting just 39% from the field struggling to find that net. Randle surveying the D. Trying to get something going. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Reeds. Now about three minutes gone in the second quarter basketball and that one’s good. Larabia and guys they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Reed with a screen on Reed. Here we go. One-on-one. Pass to Vanderbilt. Here’s Larabia. Screen. And the layup’s good off the glass. La has got four points this quarter. Timberwolves trail by 18. So what do you like about Jake Labia the most? He’s a 67 personal forward. Uh seems to have a pretty good skill set. He’s got a great skill set, Kevin. And what he’s got is he’s a great decision maker. He knows when to pass, when to shoot. Pass to Randall. Nice ball movement by Minnesota. Go the screen. And here’s Devenzo from the arc. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Let’s go to the sideline and see what Alli Leforce has dug up for us. Ally, take it away. Thanks a lot. Anthony Edwards keeps a tight circle. He said, “I’ve known my whole crew since I was 13.” And that’s the answer to everything. And the crew includes those voices of wisdom, too. He said, quote, “I keep those types of friends around. I’m not the type that always listens, but I’ll listen to my elders. All right, Ellie, thanks a lot. Not stopping that. Go bear from there is right around 100%. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout looking for a breather and maybe adjusting a thing or two. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Donic. Los Angeles with another miss. And even without that three ball dropping for him. The defense should have done more on that last play. Well, you love assisted hoops. That’s good offense. Lakers leading by 14. Bonj outside. Breeze with a screen on Devenenzo. Fouled in the active shooting. Gets the bucket anyway. So, a three-point play chance for him. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. DeAndre comes in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for connect. Free throw good. Reeves. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. LeBron against McDaniel. Vanderbilt gets a wide open look. His three-pointers off the mark. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards. Edwards getting the close range two. A fantastic decision making big Randall with the right choice there finding the open man inside. Go Bear with the block down low. Here’s Randall. Out to Edwards. Down to five on the shot clock and he can’t bank that one in. LeBron with it. Now defended by Randall. LeBron passes to Reeves. And here is Aton. Six points for him. Takes a three. A shot by LeBron. No good. Edwards looking it over. Vanderbilt against Goar outside Edwards. The layup missed. Wow. Missed the easy one right there. Right at the rim, but came up empty. Reeves against Edwards. Oh, in position. It’s stolen by Edwards. And the wideopen shot from Devonzo. No good with the triple. Lakers leading by 15. Outside James Aton sets the pick for LeBron to the inside on the wing. Reeds over Edwards. Los Angeles with another miss. Minnesota’s gone 03 from beyond the arc to start the second quarter. to the middle. Tipped away and stolen by Eaton. James with it. McDaniels picks him up inside. It’s stolen by Devenenzo. Outside Edwards to Randall, knocked away on the wing. Reed. 10 points for him. Timberwolves trail by 15. Over in the corner, Edwards down low. Here’s Goar and slam dunk by Go. Yeah, he just punched the ticket on that one. That’ll get the job done. Powerful two hand jam. Timeout. And so JJ Reic will call a timeout. Coach needs a moment to talk things over. In for Dante Deincenzo Hachimura, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Ganette comes in for Austin Reeds. So, it’s the Lakers now. They led by as many as 18 points. Donic against Conor. Can they get it? And it’s Donic missing. Timberwolves trail by 13. Outside Edwards. Teardrop shot rebounded by DeAndre Eton. Eightton’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. And the dunk by Hatimura and proving to be effective around the rim. Hachimura leaving no doubt about that one. Connley feeling it out over in the corner. McDaniels. Shot clock at five. No good with the wing jumper. Lakers leading by 15. near the three-point line. It’s Donic. Go pulls it in. They need a good offensive possession. Yeah, they’ve gone a long time without a bucket. The Timberwolves working the ball around. Edwards no good. And Los Angeles guys uh shooting 56% in this game. Really stringing quality possessions together offensively. Pass to connect. Here’s Donic and Aton throws it down. Great execution of the alley. Of course, having Aiden to throw it to makes it much easier outside Edwards and the three ball is good. Edwards got 12 in the game. Yeah, that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Back to Donic and they double up. Donic. Hatchima fouls James. Now here is Hatchima and there’s a foul called on Nas Reed. That’s his first foul. I I mean I like the call. I thought the defense was just there a little late. Austin Reeves is checked in for the Lakers. There’s 42 seconds left to play here in the half. Five to shoot. Los Angeles needs to get off a shot here. And it’s Donic missing. Well, you can’t question his confidence from out there, but it’s not falling. Maybe time for a different approach. Edwards inside. He’s defended by Reed. Reed misses. Donic looking it over from Pete LeBron. And so it’s Los Angeles sitting with a comfortable lead up by 14. Their defense has been terrific in this game. Back dynamite on offense. Yeah. And in terms of slowing him down, I think they’re going to have to change things up. Give him some different looks. And so it’s Minnesota with it. They trail by 14. The guard pair will be Connley and Edwards. The big men on the floor for him, Randall and Goar. And it’s McDaniels at the small forward. So that’s the lineup for Minnesota. Off target from outside. Laker shooting has been terrific. 54% on the game. Reeves the pass to LeBron. Reeves with the screen on McDaniels. James with it. Picked up by Edwards. Bomb deep. Reeves cans it from downtown. Reeves has got the first points to start out the third quarter for the Lakers. Randall with a screen for Edwards to the paint. And there’s Randall on the assist from Edwards. Randle’s got 11. You know, they like Randall to be an offensive presence in the paint. They want him to be an option on every possession. To the inside. It’s stormed by Goel and now Minnesota on the fast break. McDaniels dishes to Edwards from the baseline. Not enough on that one as it misses. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. So coach Van Gundy after four defensive player of the year awards, his last coming in 2024, do you think Rudy Goar has a chance at another? Well, look, Kevin, I think Rudy continues to play at just as high a level defensively, but now as the game has changed, I think we’re starting to reward guys with those awards who can not only protect the rim and make it tough on teams, but can go out on the perimeter and guard multiple positions. So, I think it’ll be tough for him to get a fit. Well, offensively he’s doing his best to keep them in this game, but they might need someone else to step up as well. Freeze with a screen on Conic outside and the Lakers with another miss. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game. Reeves against Edwards. Edwards with confidence. Now right there, Edwards uses the screen to create the space he needs. Pass to Donic. Right wing and a wide open look for Hatimura. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got six assists in the game. McDaniels outside. No one near Connley as he lets it go. And again, Minnesota with the triple. Right back at you. Connley’s a counter puncher. He knows when his team needs a lift. LeBron against McDaniels. And they double up James. Eighton wide open again. Los Angeles. Look, if you double him, he’ll make a play for someone else. Pass to McDaniels. Back to Connley. There’s the three. Greavves with the rebound. Lakers leading by 12 over Connley again. Los Angeles not surprised at all. He’s shooting it well and scoring points in butches. Now here’s Randall. 11 points in the game. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Takes the three. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got double-digit rebounds now in the game. To the middle. It’s stolen by Randall. Nick Daniels with the ball. He’s picked up by Donic. McDaniels kicks to Randall. And here’s Edwards from the arc. Knocks down the three ball. Edwards got six points in the quarter. Well, look, Edwards plays with a lot of confidence, which makes him deadly off the catch. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the James. The pass to Donic. Now Weighton outside. James block at six near the three-point line. It’s Donic. It’s hauled in by Edwards. Edwards got four rebounds in this game. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Ali Leforce on the sidelines. Thanks, Kevin. The Lakers going out and acquiring superstar talent. And Luca Donuch, LeBron James said, “Everything I do on the floor, Donic has the ability to do it or even do it better. That’s how great he is. Even at his young age, he’s such a unique special player, a generational talent.” Back to you. They’re clearly happy to have him. Ally, as always, we appreciate your reporting. Here’s Goar off the mark and a chance to trim it to single digits. Reeves the pass to Hatchima shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws. Julius Randle picks one up. And when Pakimura is looking to score, it sometimes forces the D to get aggressive. Love the energy. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, their passing has been just exceptional, and it’s opened up the floor for them on numerous occasions. And another area they’ve separated themselves has been their three-point shooting, making the defense pay for any air space. And the first one at the line is good. Minnesota making a switch here. Venenzo’s checked in. off on that one. So, he goes one for two at the line. And a fourtime defensive player of the year, Rudy Goar is improving his perimeter defense as well, Greg. It’s helped his overall game. Yeah, teams have looked to pull him outside and test his lateral quickness, but I tell you, he holds up better than you think. And we know his presence at the rim. And here’s Donic from the arc rebound. Minnesota’s got four rebounds now tonight. Outside Edwards go with a screen for Edwards. shoots over Donic. Shot is good in the Los Angeles leads. Cut down now to just 10 on the basket from Edwards. Yeah, not sure why he faded away there. Sure looked like he had plenty of space. And the foul called on Edwards. That’s foul number two for him. The Lakers making a switch here. Smarts checked in. LeBron outside. Pass to Eaton. It’s stolen by Go. McDaniels outside. Now, here’s Edwards. Guarded by Donic. Edwards against Donic. Just five to shoot. tries it from 19. Rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got 12 rebounds here tonight. Big time effort. LeBron dishes to Donic. Pass to Hatchim. Minnesota with the rebound. McDaniels kicks to Randall outside. Edwards inside and a miss there with a chance to cut the lead to single digits. Donich with it now. Defended by Goar. It’s going to be out of bounds. Los Angeles will retain possession. And he jumped out to that ball immediately. Great reaction on that deflection. Yeah. And you know they’re tracking the tips and deflections because that tells you who’s affecting the game. Minnesota making a switch here. Shannon’s checked in. Maxi Cleba. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Cleba. The pass to Vanderbilt. Smart goes in and slam dunk by Smart. A headstrong guy. Smart excels going to the rim. Pass to go bear. And here’s Edwards. Lets the three fly. LeBron grabs the miss. LeBron’s got four rebounds now tonight. Here’s Donic. Back to James for the three. LeBron James making it look easy from deep. As if the league didn’t have enough to worry about with LeBron, he’s just become a better and better jump shooter. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And so Donuch will bring it up for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt a screen on Devenenzo. Vanderbilt misses. Timber trail by 15. Oh, roll it. Shannon passes to Deven Shenzo. Now Edwards. The Timberwolves need to get a shot off here. And he’s good on the three ball. Even Jenzo’s got himself going there. His first points of the game on the deep ball. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s ready to talk things through with him. The key thing, coach, that Dante D. Venenzo brings to a team. Miller comes in for Julius Randall. And it’s Clark in for Edwards. And then for the Lakers, Jake Larabia is checked in for LeBron. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Donic. Pass to Loravia. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Reeves. three-pointer. Miller grabs the miss. Well, that’s a shot the defense felt like they could live with and it worked out for him that time. Reed kicks to Miller. Vanderbilt with the steel. Reeves outside and a miss there on the triple and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Shannon no good. Los Angeles leading by 12. Outside Smart Vanderbilt setting the pick for Reeves offline with his three. Timber shooting 35% or so in the third quarter. Whatever they’re trying is not working. Up top guarded by Smart. Shot clock at five. Back to Devenenzo. Clark for three. The Lakers with the rebound. 107 left in the third quarter. Aravia passes to Vanderville. Down low. Here’s Shannon. And there’s the slam dunk to finish it off. Excellent on both ends of that play. Yeah, the steel was sharp, but the slam topped it off. And that is why you want to run off turnovers. get down the floor before the defense is set. Reeds right side. Baseline Jay on the way. Both loose. Timberwolves trail by 10. Pass to Clark. Two seconds separating the shot clock and game clock. Aravia passes to Reeds. Here’s Vanderbilt. Back to Reeves. Six to shoot. No good. And they can’t put an end to this drought. Well, through three quarters of play, down double digits. It may be difficult to overcome. Lakers on top, leading by 10. And we’re just moments away from the start of the fourth quarter. Stay with us. And now we have a moment to uh reveal our state farm assist of the game. And the definition of teamwork right there, guys. I mean, what great communication between them. And what a beautiful feed. Well, it’s one of the core parts of the game. reading the defense and creating an easy bucket for your teammate. That is pretty. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. Taking a look at the Lakers. We’ve got Jared Vanderbilt, Austin Reeves out there with Vincent. Then it’s Jake Larabia. And it’s Cleba in at the five spot. Randall outside. Shots good by Shannon. Able to get a layup out of that one. That’s just soft defense there. Pass to Vincent with a screen on Denenzo. Fires for three. Here’s Clea and Cleba slams it in. That’s why you never quit battling on the offensive glass. And that’s a nice reward for his effort. The flush. Perfect. Well, that’s what he does. He makes an impact with his activity on the boards. And Randle’s never been one to back down from physical play inside. And he’s not going to start now. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first free throw is good. And good on the second. So he makes them both. We played just over one minute here in the fourth quarter. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with the screen on Dvenenzo. Here’s Vincent defended by Dvenenzo. Vanderbilt and the dunk by Vanderbilt. Oh. Oh. Inflicting some punishment with the two-hand flush. Ah, they’re going for the throat. Pass to Shannon and here’s Randall. Vanderbilt defending. Shoots. Randall no good. Just strong work defensively there in the low post. You got to be tough down in the paint. Yeah, that’s an outstanding defensive stand in close. If the possession ends with a shot in close, you’ve done something right. Pass to Shannon over Reeves. The Timberwolves again can’t hit and Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. They led by as many as 18 points. Now Larabia and the three off target. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reeves. Even Shenzo can’t hit it. Lakers leading by 15. Reeves the pass to Cleba. Big coming. They’re coming. Here’s Vincent and he could not get that one to go. Lot of contact and he’ll go to the line for two. It’s going to go on Nas Reed. The first one falls. Edwards has come in for Clark. Donic has checked in for Los Angeles. And so Vincent nails both of them and over two and a half minutes in the books here in the fourth. Guys are looking for a spark here. Yeah, a cold stretch offensively for sure. Edwards kicks to Reed, misses the three. Lakers leading by 17. Pass to Labraia. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Shot clock at six. Donic against Edwards. Reed with the rebound. Minnesota’s gotten off to an 0 for two start from downtown here in the fourth quarter. It’s stolen by Vanderbilt. Donic outside Vincent. The pass to Donic. There’s the pick. Randall kicks to Edwards. They need this one. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got his fifth rebound in this one. Hey, right here. Right here. Right here. Here’s Donic. Pass to Vincent. And here is Cleba. Here’s Donic up and in on the layup. And the Lakers lead by 19. creating space. Donic will move defenders around outside. Edwards to the paint. Count the bucket coming off a perfectly placed assist. Now, how about how he sets his man up there, runs him right into the screen and then gets the basket right there. Now Vincent inside, stolen by Reed. It’s twoon-one. Here’s Dvenenzo and it’s out of bounds. Oh, they say it was last touched by Dvenenzo. Yeah, couldn’t quite hang on to it. They’re not in a position now where they can afford to be giving it away like that. Rudy Goar, he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dillingham comes in for Dante Devenenzo and then for Los Angeles. Koko’s checked in and James subbed in for Jake Laabio. Donic outside pass to connect. Here’s Vanderbilt. Wants to get it to Donic and does. Six on the shot clock. Jacks up a three. Los Angeles with another miss. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards and finished off by Edwards. Wow. This is how explosive Edwards can be. He finishes with such force at the rim. Los Angeles has gotten just one of four three-pointers to go down for them here in the fourth. Donic bounce pass. The shots good from Vanderbilt. He He’s just adept at gutting the defense in these sets. Give Donic a passing lane and he’ll thread the needle. Back to Edwards. off the mark there with the three-point shot. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. They’ve given up just eight points in the fourth quarter. That’s short off the rim. I’m sure he’d like to have that back. That’s a missed opportunity. Pass to Edwards. Lets it go from deep. Buries the long range jumper. Edwards got five points in the quarter. And that pick takes the D totally out of the equation. Yeah, you’ve got to lock and trail hard. You can’t allow in the clean look. Timberwolves trail by 14. Who’s watching him? Dillingham with it. This one for three. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Vanderbilt’s got six rebounds now in the game. Oh, how about that slam? Somebody got their feelings hurt on that one. Incredible. And what an explosive finisher LeBron is rocking the rim whenever he goes up like that. Here’s Dillingham for three. Edwards outside for Randall. Offensive rebound. Shannon passes to Randall. Goes up again. Rebounded by the Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. He had stolen by Randall. Here’s Edwards bursting off the floor. Edwards hammers it down. Just a ferocious play by Edwards. Taking the contact but staying committed to his finish. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. Beyond the leaning, you could see his feet weren’t set on that screen. Easy call. Look, you can get away with a lot in terms of screens today. You can’t make it that obvious. McDaniels, he’s checked in for the Timberwolves. And so Chris Finch. He wants better shot selection. He told them, “We’re settling, guys. Come on. We’re not being patient out there. We’re not working the ball around. That has to change right now.” All right, Allie. Thanks. drains it from beyond the arc and the Lakers lead by 17. And we’re so used to Donic operating with the ball in his hands, but it’s good to see him mix it up and work off the catch. Conley sets a screen for Edwards. Gets a very good look and converts. Edwards got nine points now in the quarter. Well, sometimes you need more than just your stars, though. They’ve got to run something to get the other guys good looks. And here’s Donic from the arc. Yes. And it’s LeBron picking up the assist. Great game for him. Double double now. 11 points and 10 rebounds. Rando kicks to Connley. Pass to Edwards. Here’s Go. Holy cow. What a bailout. Too much Rudy Gobear can take a lot of contact down low. Now Eightton now Donic. Aton outside. There’s the shot. Buries the jumper. Timberl Edwards. Here’s McDaniels. Connley with the screen on LeBron outside. Edwards. Releases from 15. It’s in. His shot is pure. But when Edwards gets this hot, all an opponent can hope to do is limit the damage. Donic. Now Hatimura. Reeves outside, missed on the three. Well, the defense catches a break there. You expect him to make those. Connley and he banks the layup in. Yeah, not just a jump shooter. Connley is also adept at finding real estate close to the rim. Lakers leading by 14. Now, Donic James in the post working on McDaniels. And tonight’s battle is going to end with a very clear winner leaving nothing to chance. Impressive win for the Lakers. This was a physical physical game. Yeah, I mean they were aware of the rotations defensively and were able to attack the rim and a great team effort tonight. Helped in large part with contributions and the nice night it ended up being for Luca Donuch. He was everywhere defensively, offensively. The effort we saw from him tonight I think was the difference. Eighton. Oh, what an assist. leading him to the bucket. Inspired tonight. They fought hard and at crucial points just made the plays. Yeah, they saved their best basketball for this home stretch and they certainly earned this win. Go. Oh, no good on the dunk. Come on. You can’t be doing that. I know these guys want to put on a show, but you can’t pass up scoring opportunities. Donic. And he uses the glass on the layup. Yeah, they’ve sucked the energy out of this arena. Tremendous effort on the road. Yeah, and winning games on the road is huge, especially when you get them in such a convincing fashion. Outside Connley outside for Randall and again with the rebound. He hauls in his 20th rebound. Dominating the glass and so it’s the Lakers. Here we go. So, the Lakers will get the first possession. Here are the starters for Los Angeles. Aimura is the four with eight playing in the five. Reeves and its shooting guard. James is the small forward and it’s Donic in at the one. And Greg when you’re dealing with this Timberwolves team fairly deep with size up front that can wear you down over the course of a game and especially in a playoff series. a real strength of this team. Now LeBron following the miss by Michael Connley from deep. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. Nailed from three-point land. Good awareness on Aton’s part spotting the open teammate. We’re now joined by our sideline reporter Ally Leforce. Ally, it’s all yours. Well, I had a chance to catch up with head coach Chris Finch. As you might expect, we talked about the game plan for defending Luca Donic. Coach stressed that they’ll double team him often, saying, “Well, we want him to feel challenged on every single shot. I don’t want him to get exactly what he wants out there.” Sounds like Luca should expect hands in his face at all times tonight. Back to you, Kevin. Terrific, Ally. We appreciate the report. Now, here’s LeBron following the miss by Julius Randall. Five on the clock. Unloads. No good from LeBron. Well, that wasn’t a bad shot. Defense playing a little loose there. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in. Three-pointer Randall. That’s in there. Connley with the assist. And you don’t see that kind of quickness from your bigs very often. Randall with great hands there. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside. And here is Hatchim. And again, Los Angeles with a triple. Matching baskets from the perimeter. An earmark of today’s game. Yeah, sometimes you get in a shootout like this, but you just hope that you can get a stop first. Back to Edwards. Laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Well, look, it’s tough to keep Edwards out of the lane and tough to stop him once he’s in there. First quarter basketball just over two and a half minutes played. LeBron is doubled. And the dunk by Hatim Murray. A little artistry in the painted area converting against the size. Yeah, he didn’t let the defense affect him there. He just kept his focus. Randall finds Edwards over Reeves and finished off by Goar. Then Gobear showing how much he wanted that basket. Reeves outside. Just under three and a half minutes gone here in the first quarter. Hatchima with a screen on Edwards and the dunk by Hatchima. And for a power forward, he can sure get up. I mean, because of that leaping ability, it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Connley, the pass to Edwards. Edwards with another miss. Yeah. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. And the shot goes in. Reeves has got five now. Nice little floater there. Soft touch outside. Edwards. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Edwards with another miss. Lakers leading by five. Here’s LeBron. Good. Nice job down low. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burrows his way inside and takes advantage. Now here’s Edwards. Go with a screen on Reeds. Here’s Edwards. Another miss by Minnesota. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. They could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Too many empty possessions right now. They need the basket. Outside Connley. Here’s Randall. Another miss by Minnesota. Lakers leading by nine. James kicks to Donic. Pass to Hatimura. LeBron against Connor. To the paint. Here’s Aton. Go with the block. And when Goa is playing with this kind of aggression on that end, there aren’t many better at defending it. Yeah. A nice strong finish on the inside. But Greg, that’s what he does. He’s got the dunker mentality. You know, Stan, even at this late stage of his career, Mike Connley brings tremendous value to the team. He sure does, Kevin. And and look, we know this. No one brings more discipline and professionalism on a nightly basis. He keeps this team poised. He keeps his team organized and he’s a great mentor to the young players on this team. Here’s Hatimura following the bucket by the Timberwolves. An passes to Eightton. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Eightton’s got his second basket of the game. Well, there’s the skill of Eightton nailing the jump shot with confidence. McDaniels outside pass to Randall. Goar with a screen for Randall. Go down low. He’s covered by Hatchima. Reeves against Edwards. second chance shot and contact on the shot, so he’ll be shooting free throws here. Well, coach, we know there’s a lot of expectations tied to a number one pick and sometimes they fall flat, but that has not been the case so far with Anthony Edwards. Oh, it sure as heck hasn’t, Kevin. But I think it starts with Anthony Edwards welcomed the expectations. He wanted the expectations and he has pushed himself to play to that level on a nightly basis and he’s done it. First one falls for it. Greg Anthony Edwards is full of confidence and it’s beautiful to watch and rightfully so and can do it all on the floor. As complete of a wing as you’ll find in our league. Reed, he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dante Devenzo comes in for Michael Conley and Edwards drops him both. Just solid. Really one of the very best there is at the free throw line. Pass to Vanderbilt. And here’s James outside. Connects from three-point range. LeBron’s got five points so far. Showing some range. LeBron more than capable of hurting you from deep. Here’s Reed. tried to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. Donic dishes to Smart. Aton finds Donic. Shoots the three. A rebound by the Timberwolves. It’s Edwards on the wing. Reed gets the bucket. And Reed is a very active player. Love seeing him be this aggressive inside. Bass to Vanderbilt. Now James McDaniel’s defending. Never a bad idea to run the old pick play. Uh-uh. You’re right. And if it produces a slam like that, we’ll probably see more of them. Yeah. Defensive breakdown there. Got to communicate and switch that screen. And Minnesota has possession after the basket by the Lakers. And here’s Steven Genzo from the arc. Good work defensively by Smart. James left side. Pass to Aton and he banks in the layup and it’s a 10-point Laker lead. Boy, that was quick. Already out to a double- digit lead. Yeah, incredible play on both ends of the floor. There may be too big of a gap here. Reed kicks to Devenenzo. No one near Edwards as he lets it block. Hits the three-point bomb. Edwards got seven. Well, you have to be careful with Edwards on the arc because he is completely furious. Go bear against Eaton. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Just five on the clock. Out to McDaniel. No good on the three. Lakers leading by seven. LeBron with it. Picked up by Edwards. Vanderbilt kicks to Smart. Pass to James. Over Edwards and LeBron gets it to go with the assist from Smart. And that’s now nine points for LeBron. It might be the most difficult shot in basketball, the hook shot. And timeout called by Chris Vinch. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something. 136 left in the first quarter now. Devenzo still without a basket left side. Reed clock at four. Clark finds Randall. Count that one. I tell you what, it’s it’s almost like stealing to watch how he plays the game from this seat. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. Seven-point differential. Pass to Vanderbilt. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. Here’s Dvenenzo. There’s 53 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Here’s Shannon guarded by Donic. A three for Debenzo. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Smart. Clebba kicks to Donic. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Pass to Cleba. Reed with the defensive effort. Randall down low. He’s against Vanderbilt. Nice work defensively to contest that shot right at the rim. Nothing easy. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net, it becomes contagious. And a double-digit lead on the scoreboard as we end the first quarter of play. Lakers lead by 12. After this break, we’ll be back with the start of the second quarter on 2K Sports. And welcome back to the second quarter of action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far. And a chance to catch up on some numbers here. Scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, they’re in a great flow. The ball’s moving. All those assisted buckets means the offense is running well. Another thing they’ve done well is push the tempo. They’re running the floor and converting on the fast break. Taking a look at the Lakers. Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Maxi Cleba. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Lorravia in at the three spot. And Greg, everyone talks about the importance of basketball IQ. Can you win in the NBA with a low IQ team? Boy, it would be tough. I mean, there’s a reason younger teams typically don’t win at the highest level, but you need to take those lumps and get that experience and learn from those lessons. Three-pointer Randall. He doesn’t hit that one. Lakers leading by 12. Get there. Get Reeves. The pass to Labraia. Back to Reeves. I got the outside. Score it. His third straight basket in three tries. And Matador defense. That’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this gap. Outside Smart Reeves with a screen on Reed. Smart misses. Timberwolves trail by 14. Shannon passes to Deven Shenzo. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reed. Yeah, way to get there first and be willing to absorb the contact. Vincent’s check in for Marcus Smart. Lakers leading by 14. Reeves with it. He has seven. Reeves with the screen on Clark. Pass to Vincent. Lorabia with the screen. Los Angeles with another miss. The Timberwolves shooting just 39% from the field. Struggling to find that net. Randall surveying the D trying to get something going. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Reeds. Now about three minutes gone in this second quarter basketball and that one’s good. Larabia and guys they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Reed with a screen on Reed. Here we go. One-on-one. Dance to Vanderbilt. Here’s Laorabia. Screen and the layup’s good off the glass. Well, Ravy has got four points this quarter. Timberwolves trail by 18. So, what do you like about Jake Larabia the most? He’s a 67 personal forward. Uh, seems to have a pretty good skill set. He’s got a great skill set, Kevin. And what he’s got is he’s a great decision maker. He knows when to pass, when to shoot. Pastor Randall. Nice ball movement by Minnesota. Go the screen. And here’s Devenzo from the arc. and he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Let’s go to the sideline and see what Ally Leforce has dug up for us. Ally, take it away. Thanks a lot. Anthony Edwards keeps a tight circle. He said, “I’ve known my whole crew since I was 13, and that’s the answer to everything.” And the crew includes those voices of wisdom, too. He said, quote, “I keep those types of friends around. I’m not the type that always listens, but I’ll listen to my elders.” All right, Ellie. Thanks a lot. not stopping that. Go bear from there is right around 100%. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout looking for a breather and maybe adjusting a thing or two. And so Donuch will bring it up for the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Donic. Los Angeles with another miss. And even without that three ball dropping for him, the defense should have done more on that last play. Well, you love assisted hoops. That’s good offense. Lakers leading by 14. Bonj outside. Reves with a screen on Devenzo. Fouled in the act of shooting gets the bucket anyway. So, a three-point play chance for him. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. DeAndre comes in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for connect. Free throw good. Reeves. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. LeBron against McDaniel. Vanderbilt gets a wideopen look. His three-pointer is off the mark. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards. Edwards getting the close range two. A fantastic decision making big Randall with the right choice there finding the open man inside with the block down low. Here’s Randall out to Edwards. Down to five on the shot clock. And he can’t bank that one in. LeBron with it. Out defended by Randall. LeBron passes to Reeves. And here is Aton. Six points for him. Takes a three. A shot by LeBron. No good. Edwards looking it over. Vanderbilt against Goar outside. Edwards. The layup missed. Wow. Missed the easy one right there. Right at the rim, but came up empty. Reeves against Edwards. Oh, in position. It’s stolen by Edwards and the wideopen shot from Deven Shenzo. No good with the triple. Lakers leading by 15. Outside James Aton sets the pick for LeBron to the inside on the wing. Reeds over Edwards. Los Angeles with another miss. Minnesota’s gone 03 from beyond the arc to start the second quarter to the middle. Tipped away and stolen by Eaton. James with it. Ed Daniels picks him up inside. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Outside Edwards to Randall. Knocked away on the wing. Reed. 10 points for him. Timberl 15 over in the corner. Edward down low. Here’s Goar and slam dunk by Go. Yeah, he just punched the ticket on that one. That’ll get the job done. Powerful two hand jamout timeout. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach needs a moment to talk things over. In for Dante Devincenzo. Hatchima. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Kette comes in for Austin Reed. So, it’s the Lakers now. They led by as many as 18 points. Donic against Connor. Can they get it? And it’s Donic missing. Timberwolves trail by 13. Outside Edwards teardrop shot rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. And the dunk by Hatimura and proving to be effective around the rim. Hakimura leaving no doubt about that one. Connley feeling it out. over in the corner. McDaniels. Shot clock at five. No good with the wing jumper. Lakers leading by 15 near the three-point line. It’s Donuch. Go pulls it in. They need a good offensive possession. Yeah, they’ve gone a long time without a bucket. The Timberwolves working the ball around. Edwards no good. And Los Angeles guys uh shooting 56% in this game. Really stringing quality possessions together offensively. Pass to connect. Here’s Donic and Aton throws it down. Great execution of the alley. Of course, having Aiden to throw it to makes it much easier. outside Edwards and the three ball is good. Edwards got 12 in the game. Yeah, that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Back to Donic and they double up Donic. Hatchimura files James. Now here is Himura and that’s a foul called on Nas Reed. That’s his first foul. I I mean I like the call. I thought the defense was just there a little late. Austin Reeves is checked in for the Lakers. There’s 42 seconds left to play here in the half. Five to shoot. Los Angeles needs to get off a shot here and it’s Donic missing. Well, you can’t question his confidence from out there, but it’s not falling. Maybe time for a different approach. Edwards inside. He’s defended by Reed. Reed misses. Donic looking it over from deep LeBron. And so it’s Los Angeles sitting with a comfortable lead up by 14. Their defense has been terrific in this game. Back dynamite on offense. Yeah. And in terms of slowing him down, I think they’re going to have to change things up, give him some different looks. And so it’s Minnesota with it. They trail by 14. The guard pair will be Connley and Edwards. The big man on the floor for him, Randall and Goar. And it’s McDaniels at the small forward. So that’s the lineup for Minnesota. Off target from outside. Laker shooting has been terrific. 54% on the game. Reeves the pass to LeBron. Reeves with the screen on McDaniel. James with it. Picked up by Edwards. From deep. Reeves hands it from downtown. Reeves has got the first points to start out the third quarter for the Lakers. Randall with a screen for Edwards to the paint. And there’s Randall on the assist from Edwards. Randle’s got 11. You know, they like Randall to be an offensive presence in the paint. They want him to be an option on every possession. To the inside. It’s going by Goelair. And now Minnesota on the fast break. McDaniels dishes to Edwards from the baseline. Not enough on that one as it misses. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. So coach Van Gandhi after four defensive player of the year awards, his last coming in 2024. Do you think Rudy Gobear has a chance at another? Well, look, Kevin, I think Rudy continues to play at just as high a level defensively, but now as the game has changed, I think we’re starting to reward guys with those awards who can not only protect the rim and make it tough on teams, but can go out on the perimeter and guard multiple positions. So, I think it’ll be tough for him to get a fit. Well, offensively he’s doing his best to keep them in this game, but they might need someone else to step up as well. Freeze with a screen on outside and the Lakers with another miss. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game. Reeves against Edwards. Edwards with confidence. Now right there, Edwards uses the screen to create the space he needs. Pass to Donic. Right wing and a wideopen look for Hatimura. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got six assists in the game. McDaniels outside. No one near Connley as he lets it go. And again, Minnesota with the triple. Right back at you. Connley’s a counter puncher. He knows when his team needs a lift. LeBron against McDaniels. And they double up James. Eighton wide open again. Los Angeles. Look, if you double him, he’ll make a play for someone else. Pass to McDaniels. Back to Connley. There’s the three. Greavves with the rebound. Lakers leading by 12 over Connley again. Los Angeles. Not surprised at all. He’s shooting it well and scoring points in butches. Now here’s Randall. 11 points in the game. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Takes the three. It’s held in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got doubledigit rebounds now in the game. To the middle. It’s stolen by Randall. Nick Daniels with the ball. He’s picked up by Donic. McDaniels kicks to Randall. And here’s Edwards from the arc. Knocks down the three ball. Edwards got six points in the quarter. Well, look, Edwards plays with a lot of confidence which makes him deadly off the catch. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the James. The pass to Donic. Nowon outside James. Pocket six near the three-point line. It’s Donuch. It’s hauled in by Edwards. Edwards got four rebounds in this game. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Alli Leapor on the sidelines. Thanks, Kevin. The Lakers going out and acquiring superstar talent and Luca Donic. LeBron James said, “Everything I do on the floor, Donic has the ability to do it or even do it better. That’s how great he is. Even at his young age, he’s such a unique special player, a generational talent.” Back to you. They’re clearly happy to have him. Ellie, as always, we appreciate your reporting. Here’s Go Bear off the mark and a chance to trim it to single digits. Reeves the pass to Hatchima shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws. Julius Randle picks one up. And when Pachimura is looking to score, it sometimes forces the D to get aggressive. Love the energy. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, their passing has been just exceptional, and it’s opened up the floor for them on numerous occasions. And another area they’ve separated themselves has been their three-point shooting, making the defense pay for any air space. And the first one at the line is good. Minnesota making a switch here. Venenzo’s checked in. off on that one. So, he goes one for two at the line. And a fourtime defensive player of the year, Rudy Goar is improving his perimeter defense as well. Greg, it’s helped his overall game. Yeah, teams have looked to pull him outside and test his lateral quickness, but I tell you, he holds up better than you think, and we know his presence at the rim. And here’s Donic from the arc rebound. Minnesota’s got four rebounds now tonight. Outside, Edwards. Go with a screen for Edwards. shoots over Donic. Shot is good in the Los Angeles leads. Cut down now to just 10 on the basket from Edwards. Yeah, not sure why he faded away there. Sure looked like he had plenty of space. And the foul called on Edwards. That’s foul number two for him. The Lakers making a switch here. Smarts checked in. LeBron outside. Pass to Eaton. It’s stolen by Go. McDaniels outside. Oh, here’s Edwards. Guarded by Donic. Edwards against Donic. Just five to shoot. Tries it from 19. Rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got 12 rebounds here tonight. Big time effort. LeBron dishes to Donic. Pass to Hatchima. Minnesota with the rebound. McDaniels kicks to Randall. Outside Edwards inside and a miss there with a chance to cut the lead to single digits. Don Jes with it now defended by Goar. It’s going to be out of bounds. Los Angeles will retain possession. And he jumped out to that ball immediately. Great reaction on that deflection. Yeah. And you know they’re tracking the tips and deflections because that tells you who’s affecting the game. Minnesota making a switch here. Shannon’s checked in. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Cleba. The pass to Vanderbilt. Smart goes in and slam dunk by Smart. A headstrong guy. Smart excels going to the rim. Pass to go bear. And here’s Edwards. Lets the three fly. LeBron grabs the miss. LeBron’s got four rebounds now tonight. Here’s Donic. Back to James for the three. LeBron James making it look easy from deep. As if the league didn’t have enough to worry about with LeBron. He’s just become a better and better jump shooter. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt a screen on Dean Chenzo. Vanderbilt misses. Timberwolves trail by 15 roll Shannon passes to Devonenzo now. Edwards. The Timberwolves need to get a shot off here. And he’s good on the three ball. Even Jenzo’s got himself going there. His first points of the game on the deep ball. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s ready to talk things through with him. The key thing, coach, that Dante D. Vincenzo brings to a team. Miller comes in for Julius Randall and it’s Clark in for Edwards. And then for the Lakers, Jake Laavia checked in for LeBron. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Donic. Pass to Labraia. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Reeves. Three-pointer. Miller grabs the miss. Well, that’s a shot the defense felt like they could live with and it worked out for him that time. Reed kicks to Miller. Vanderville with the steal. Reeves outside and a miss there on the triple and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Shannon, no good. Los Angeles leading by 12. Outside Smart. Vanderbilt setting the pick for Reeves offline with his three. Timber shooting 35% or so in the third quarter. Whatever they’re trying is not working. Up top, Devenzo. Guarded by Smart. Shot clock at five. Back to Devenenzo. Clark for three. The Lakers with the rebound. 107 left in the third quarter. Arabia passes to Vanderville. Down low. Here’s Shannon. And there’s the slam dunk to finish it off. Excellent on both ends of that play. Yeah, the steel was sharp, but the slam topped it off. And that is why you want to run off turnovers. Hit down the floor before the defense is set. Reeds right side. Baseline. Jay on the way. Both loose. Timberwolves trail by 10. Pass to Clark. Two seconds separating the shot clock and game clock. Arabia passes to Reeves. Here’s Vanderbilt. Back to Reeves. Six to shoot. No good. And they can’t put an end to this drought. Well, through three quarters of play, down double digits. It may be difficult to overcome. Lakers on top, leading by 10. And we’re just moments away from the start of the fourth quarter. Stay with us. And now we have a moment to uh reveal our State Farm assist of the game. And the definition of teamwork right there, guys. I mean, what great communication between them and what a beautiful feed. Well, it’s one of the core parts of the game, reading the defense and creating an easy bucket for your teammate. That is pretty. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. Taking a look at the Lakers, we’ve got Jared Vanderbilt, Austin Reeves out there with Vincent. Then it’s Jake Larabia and it’s Cleba in at the five spot. Randall outside shots good by Shannon able to get a layup out of that one. That’s just soft defense there. Pass to Vincent with a screen on Devanchenzo. Fires for three. Here’s Cleba and Cleba slams it in. That’s why you never quit battling on the offensive glass. And that’s a nice reward for his effort. The flush. Perfect. Well, that’s what he does. He makes an impact with his activity on the boards. And Randle’s never been one to back down from physical play inside. And he’s not going to start now. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first free throw is good. and good on the second. So he makes them both. We played just over one minute here in the fourth quarter. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with the screen on Denenzo. Here’s Vincent defended by Devenenzo. Vanderbilt and the dunk by Vanderbilt. Oh. Oh. Inflicting some punishment with the two-hand flush. Ah, they’re going for the throat. Pass to Shannon. And here’s Randall. Vanderbilt defending. Shoots. Randall. No good. Just strong work defensively there in the low post. You got to be tough down in the paint. Yeah, that’s an outstanding defensive stand in close. If the possession ends with a shot in close, you’ve done something right. Pass to Shannon over Reeves. The Timberwolves again can’t hit. And Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. They led by as many as 18 points. Now Larabia and the three off target. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reeves. Even Shenzo can’t hit it. Lakers leading by 15. Reeves the pass to Cleba. Coming. Here’s Vincent and he could not get that. One to go. Lot of contact and he’ll go to the line for two. It’s going to go on Naz Reed. The first one falls. Edwards has come in for Clark. Donic has checked in for Los Angeles. And so Vincent nails both of them and over two and a half minutes in the books here in the fourth. Guys are looking for a spark here. Yeah, a cold stretch offensively for sure. Edwards kicks to Reed, misses the three. Lakers leading by 17. Bass to Labraia. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Nice ball movement there by the Lakers. Shot clock at six. Donic against Edwards. Reed with the rebound. Minnesota’s gotten off to an 0 for two start from downtown here in the fourth quarter. It’s stolen by Vanderbilt. Donic outside. Vincent the pass to Donic. There’s the pick. Great teeth that time from Edwards. Timberwolves trail by 17. Randle kicks to Edwards. They need this one. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got his fifth rebound in this one. Hey yo, yo, right here. Right here. Here’s Donic. Pass to Vincent and here is Cleba. Here’s Donic up and in on the layup and the Lakers lead by 19. Creating space. Donic will move defenders around outside. Edwards to the paint. Count the bucket. Coming off a perfectly placed assist. Now, how about how he sets his man up there, runs him right into the screen, and then gets the basket. Right there. Right there. Now, Vincent inside, stolen by Reed. It’s twoon-one. Here’s Dvenenzo and it’s out of bounds. Oh, they say it was last touched by Devincenzo. Yeah, couldn’t quite hang on to it. They’re not in a position now where they can afford to be giving it away like that. Rudy Gobear, he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dillingham comes in for Dante Danchenzo and then for Los Angeles. Koko’s checked in and James subbed in for Jake Clarabio. Donic outside pass to connect. Here’s Vanderbilt. Wants to get it to Donic and does. Six on the shot clock. Jacks up a three. Los Angeles with another miss. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards and finished off by Edwards. Wow. This is how explosive Edwards can be. He finishes with such force at the rim. Los Angeles has gotten just one of four three-pointers to go down for them here in the fourth. Donic bounce pass. The shots good from Vanderbilt. He He’s just adept at gutting the defense in these sets. Give Donic a passing lane and he’ll thread the needle. Back to Edwards off the mark there with the three-point shot. And Zo Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. They’ve given up just eight points in the fourth quarter. That’s short off the rim. I’m sure he’d like to have that back. That’s a missed opportunity. Pass to Edwards. Lets it go from deep. Buries the long range jumper. Edwards got five points in the quarter. And that pick takes the D totally out of the equation. Yeah, you’ve got to lock and trail hard. You can’t allow in the clean look for Timberwolves trail by 14. Who’s watching him? Dillingham with it. This one for three. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Vanderbilt’s got six rebounds now in the game. Oh, how about that slam? Somebody got their feelings hurt on that one. Incredible. And what an explosive finisher LeBron is rocking the rim whenever he goes up like that. Here’s Dillingham for three. Edwards outside for Randall. Offensive rebound. Shannon passes to Randall. Goes up again. Rebounded by the Lakers. Vanderbilt’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. He stolen by Randall. Here’s Edwards bursting off the floor. Edwards hammers it down. Just a ferocious play by Edwards taking the contact but staying committed to his finish. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. Beyond the leaning, you could see his feet weren’t set on that screen. Easy call. Look, you can get away with a lot in terms of screens today, but you can’t make it that obvious. Nick Daniels, he’s checked in for the Timberwolves. And so Chris Finch. He wants better shot selection. He told them, “We’re settling, guys. Come on. We’re not being patient out there. We’re not working the ball around. That has to change right now.” All right, Ally. Thanks. Trains it from beyond the arc and the Lakers lead by 17. And we’re so used to Donic operating with the ball in his hands, but it’s good to see him mix it up and work off the catch. Conley sets a screen for Edwards. gets a very good look and converts. Edwards got nine points now in the quarter. Well, sometimes you need more than just your stars though. They’ve got to run something to get the other guys good looks. And here’s Donic from the arc. Yes. And it’s LeBron picking up the assist. Great game for him. Double double down. 11 points and 10 rebounds. You got him. Randle kicks to Connley. Pass to Edwards. Here’s Goar. Holy cow. What a bailout. Too much. Rudy Goar can take a lot of contact down low. Nowon. Now Donic. Eightton outside. Here’s the shot. Buries the jumper. Timberwolves trail by 18 outside. Edwards. Here’s McDaniels. Connley with a screen on LeBron. Outside. Edwards releases from 15. hits in. His shot is pure. Well, when Edwards gets this hot, all an opponent can hope to do is limit the damage. Donic now. Hatim Reeves outside missed on the three. Well, the defense catches a break there. You expect him to make those. Connley and he banks the layup in. Yeah, not just a jump shooter. Connley is also adept at finding real estate close to the rim. Lakers leading by 14. Now Donic James in the post working on McDaniels. And tonight’s battle is going to end with a very clear winner leaving nothing to chance. Impressive win for the Lakers. This was a physical physical game. Yeah, I mean they were aware of the rotations defensively and were able to attack the rim and a great team effort tonight helped in large part with contributions and the nice night it ended up being for Luca Donic. He was everywhere defensively, offensively. The effort we saw from him tonight, I think was the difference. Oh, what an assist leading him to the bucket. Inspired tonight. They fought hard and at crucial points just made the plays. Yeah, they saved their best basketball for this home stretch and they certainly earned this win. Go. Oh, no good on the dunk. Come on. You can’t be doing that. I know these guys want to put on a show, but you can’t pass up scoring opportunities. Donic and he uses the glass on the layup. Yeah, they’ve sucked the energy out of this arena. Tremendous effort on the road. Yeah. And winning games on the road is huge, especially when you get them in such a convincing fashion. Outside. Connley outside for Randall. And again with the rebound. He holds in his 20th rebound. Dominating the glass. And so it’s the Lakers. Hey. Hey. Hey. Here we go. So, the Lakers will get the first possession. Here are the starters for Los Angeles. Hachimura is the four with Aiden playing the five. Reeves and it shooting guard. James is the small forward. And it’s Donic in at the one. And Greg, when you’re dealing with this Timberwolves team fairly deep with size up front, that can wear you down over the course of a game and especially in a playoff series. A real strength of this team. Now LeBron following the miss by Michael Connley from G. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. Nailed from three-point land. Good awareness on Aton’s part spotting the open teammate. We’re now joined by our sideline reporter Ally Leforce. Ally, it’s all yours. Well, I had a chance to catch up with head coach Chris Finch. As you might expect, we talked about the game plan for defending Luca Donic. Coach stressed that they’ll double team him often, saying, quote, “We want him to feel challenged on every single shot. I don’t want him to get exactly what he wants out there.” Sounds like Luca should expect hands in his face at all times tonight. Back to you, Kevin. Terrific, Ally. We appreciate the report. Now here’s LeBron following the miss by Julius Randall. Five on the clock. Unloads. No good from LeBron. Well, that wasn’t a bad shot. Defense playing a little loose there. Sometimes it just doesn’t go in. Three-pointer Randall. That’s in there. Connley with the assist. And you don’t see that kind of quickness from your bigs very often. Randall with great hands there. Pass to Eightton. LeBron outside. And here is Hatchim. And again, Los Angeles with a triple. Matching baskets from the perimeter. An earmark of today’s game. Yeah, sometimes you get in a shootout like this, but you just hope that you can get a stop first. Back to Edwards. played in with a nice touch off the glass. Well, look, it’s tough to keep Edwards out of the lane and tough to stop him once he’s in there. First quarter basketball just over two and a half minutes played. LeBron has doubled and the dunk by Hatchim. A little artistry in the painted area converting against the size. Yeah, he didn’t let the defense affect him there. He just kept his focus. Randall finds Edwards over Reeves and finished off by Goar. Then Gobear showing how much he wanted that basket. Reeves outside. Just under three and a half minutes gone here in the first quarter. Hatchima with a screen on Edwards and the dunk by Hatchima and for a power forward he can sure get up. I mean because of that leaping ability it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Conlay the pass to Edwards. Edwards with another miss. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall and the shot goes in. Reeves has got five now. Nice little floater there. Soft touch outside. Edwards. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Edwards with another miss. Lakers lead by five. Here’s LeBron. Good. Nice job down low. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burrows his way inside and takes advantage. Now here is Edwards. Go Bear with a screen on Reeds. Here’s Edwards. Another miss by Minnesota. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. They could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Too many empty possessions right now. They need the basket outside. Connley. Here’s Randall. Another miss by Minnesota. Lakers leading by nine. James kicks to Donic. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron against Conway. to the paint. Here’s Gobear with the block. And when Go is playing with this kind of aggression on that end, there aren’t many better at defending. Yeah. A nice strong finish on the inside. But Greg, that’s what he does. He’s got the dunker mentality. You know, Stan, even at this late stage of his career, Mike Connley brings tremendous value to the team. He sure does, Kevin. And and look, we know this. No one brings more discipline and professionalism on a nightly basis. He keeps this team poised. He keeps his team organized and he’s a great mentor to the young players on this team. Here’s Hatimarov following the bucket by the Timberwolves. Anage passes to Eightton. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Eightton’s got his second basket of the game. Well, there’s the skill of Eightton nailing the jump shot with confidence. McDaniels outside. Pass to Randall. Go Bear with a screen for Randall. Go down low. He’s covered by Hatchima. leaves against second chance shot and contact on the shot. So, he’ll be shooting free throws here. Well, coach, we know there’s a lot of expectations tied to a number one pick. Sometimes they fall flat, but that has not been the case so far with Anthony Edwards. Oh, it sure as heck hasn’t, Kevin. But I think it starts with Anthony Edwards welcomed the expectations. He wanted the expectations and he has pushed himself to play to that level on a nightly basis and he’s done it. First one falls for it. Greg Anthony Edwards is full of confidence and it’s beautiful to watch and rightfully so and can do it all on the floor as complete of a wing as you’ll find in our league. Reed he’s checked in for Minnesota. Dante Devenenzo comes in for Michael Conley and Edwards drops them both. Just solid. Really one of the very best there is at the free throw line. Pass to Vanderbilt. And here’s James outside. Connects from three-point range. LeBron’s got five points so far. Showing some range. LeBron more than capable of hurting you from deep. Here’s Reed. tried to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. Donic dishes to Smart. Aton finds Donic. Shoots the three. A rebound by the Timberwolves. It’s Edwards on the wing. Reed gets the bucket. And Reed is a very active player. Love seeing him be this aggressive inside. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now James McDaniels defending. Never a bad idea to run the old kick play. Uh-uh. You’re right. And if it produces a slam like that, we’ll probably see more of them. Yeah. Defensive breakdown there. Got to communicate and switch that screen. And Minnesota has possession after the basket by the Lakers. And here’s Jenzo from the arc. Good work defensively by Smart. James left side. Pass to Eightton and he banks in the layup and it’s a 10-point Laker lead. Boy, that was quick. Already out to a double-digit lead. Yeah, incredible play on both ends of the floor. There may be too big of a gap here. Reed kicks to Devenzo. No one near Edwards as he lets it block. Hits the three-point foul. Edwards got seven. Well, you have to be careful with Edwards on the arc because he is completely furious. Go bear against Eaton. It’s stolen by Debenzo. Just five on the clock. Out to McDaniel. No good on the three. Lakers leading by seven. LeBron with it. Picked up by Edwards. Vanderbilt kicks to Smart. Pass to James. Over Edwards and LeBron gets it to go with the assist from Smart. And that’s now nine points for LeBron. It might be the most difficult shot in basketball, the hook shot. And timeout called by Chris Finch. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something. 136 left in the first quarter. Now Devenzo still without a basket. Left side Reed. Clock at four. Clark finds Randall. Count that one. I tell you what, it’s it’s almost like stealing to watch how he plays the game from this seat. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Lakers. Seven-point differential. Pass to Vanderbilt. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got three assists in the game. Here’s Dvenenzo. There’s 53 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Here’s Shannon guarded by Donic. A three for Deanzo. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Smart. Clebba kicks to Donic. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Pass to Cleba. Reed with the defensive effort. Randall down low. He’s against Vanderbilt. Nice work defensively to contest that shot right at the rim. Nothing easy. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. And a double-digit lead on the scoreboard as we end the first quarter of play. Lakers lead by 12. After this break, we’ll be back with the start of the second quarter on 2K Sports. And welcome back to the second quarter of action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far. And a chance to catch up on some numbers here. Scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, they’re in a great flow. The ball’s moving. All those assisted buckets means the offense is running well. Another thing they’ve done well is push the tempo. They’re running the floor and converting on the fast break. Taking a look at the Lakers. Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Maxi Clea. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Loravia in at the three spot. And Greg, everyone talks about the importance of basketball IQ. Can you win in the NBA with a low IQ team? Boy, it would be tough. I mean, there’s a reason younger teams typically don’t win at the highest level, but you need to take those lumps and get that experience and learn from those lessons. Three-pointer Randall. He doesn’t hit that one. Lakers leading by 12. Get there. Get Reeves. The pass to Labraia. Back to Reeves. I got the score it. His third straight basket in three tries. And Matador defense. That’s one of the easiest shots. he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this gap. Outside Smart Reeds with a screen on Reed. Smart misses. Timberl Shannon passes to Devenenzo. Here’s Shannon. He’s defended by Reed. Yeah, way to get there first and be willing to absorb the contact. Vincent’s check in for Marcus Smart. Lakers leading by 14. Reeves with it. He has seven. Reeves with the screen on Clark. Pass to Vincent. Lorabia with the screen. Los Angeles with another miss. The Timberwolves shooting just 39% from the field struggling to find that net. Randall surveying the D trying to get something going. That shot no good. Good work defensively by Reeds. Now about three minutes gone in this second quarter basketball and that one’s good. Larabia. And guys, they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Reed with a screen on Reed. Here we go. One-on-one pass to Vanderbilt. Here’s Larabia. Screen and the layup’s good off the glass. Well, Ravy has got four points this quarter. Timberwolves trail by 18. So, what do you like about Jake Labia the most? He’s a 67 personal forward. Uh, seems to have a pretty good skill set. He’s got a great skill set, Kevin. And what he’s got is he’s a great decision maker. He knows when to pass, when to shoot. Pass to Randall. Nice ball movement by Minnesota. Go the screen. And here’s Devenzo from the arc. and he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Let’s go to the sideline and see what Alli Leforce has dug up for us. Ally, take it away. Thanks a lot. Anthony Edwards keeps a tight circle. He said, “I’ve known my whole crew since I was 13, and that’s the answer to everything.” And the crew includes those voices of wisdom, too. He said, quote, “I keep those types of friends around. I’m not the type that always listens, but I’ll listen to my elders.” All right, Ellie. Thanks a lot. not stopping that. Go bear from there is right around 100%. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout looking for a breather and maybe adjusting a thing or two. And so Donic will bring it up for the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Donic. Los Angeles with another miss. And even without that three ball dropping for him, the defense should have done more on that last play. Well, you love assisted hoops. That’s good offense. Lakers leading by 14. Bonjic outside. Reeves with a screen on Devenenzo. Fouled in the active shooting gets the bucket anyway. So, a three-point play chance for him. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Here’s what the Lakers are going with right now. DeAndre comes in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for connect. Free throw good. Reeves. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. LeBron against McDaniel. Vanderbilt gets a wide open look. His three-pointer is off the mark. Timberwolves trail by 17. Here’s Edwards. Edwards getting the close range two. A fantastic decision making big Randall with the right choice there finding the open man inside with the block down low. Here’s Randall out to Edwards. Down to five on the shot clock. And he can’t bank that one in. LeBron with it. Now defended by Randall. LeBron passes to Reeves. And here is Aon. Six points for him. Takes a three. A shot by LeBron. No good. Edwards looking it over. Vanderbilt against Goar outside. Edwards. The layup missed. Wow. Missed the easy one right there. Right at the rim, but came up empty. Reeves against Edwards. Oh, in position. It’s stolen by Edwards and the wideopen shot from Devonzo. No good with the triple. Lakers leading by 15. Outside James sets the pick for LeBron to the inside on the wing. Reeds over Edwards. Los Angeles with another miss. Minnesota’s gone 03 from beyond the arc to start the second quarter. To the middle, tipped away and stolen by Eaton. James with it. McDaniels picks him up inside. It’s stolen by Deanzo. Outside Edwards has to Randall. Knocked away on the wing. Reed. 10 points for him. Timberwolves trail by 15 over in the corner. Edwards down low. Here’s Goar and slam dunk by Go. Yeah, he just punched the ticket on that one. That’ll get the job done. Powerful two hand jamout and so JJ Reick will call a timeout. Coach needs a moment to talk things over. In for Dante Debenzo, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Connect comes in for Austin Reed. So, it’s the Lakers now. They led by as many as 18 points. Donic against Conor. Can they get it? And it’s Donic missing. Timberwolves trail by 13. Outside Edwards teardrop shot rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got rebound number seven for him tonight. And the dunk by Hatimura and proving to be effective around the rim. Hakimura leaving no doubt about that one. Connley feeling it out. over in the corner. McDaniels. Shot clock at five. No good with the wing jumper. Lakers leading by 15 near the three-point line. It’s Donic. Go pulls it in. They need a good offensive possession. Yeah, they’ve gone a long time without a bucket. The Timberwolves working the ball around. Edwards no good. And Los Angeles guys uh shooting 56% in this game. Really stringing quality possessions together offensively. Pass to connect. Here’s Dunic and Aton throws it down. Great execution of the alley. Of course, having Aiden to throw it to makes it much easier. outside Edwards and the three ball is good. Edwards got 12 in the game. That’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Back to Donic and they double up Donic. Hatchima fouls James. Now here is Hachimura and there’s a foul called on Nas Reed. That’s his first foul. I I mean I like the call. I thought the defense was just there a little late. Austin Reeves is checked in for the Lakers. There’s 42 seconds left to play here in the half. Five to shoot. Los Angeles needs to get off a shot here and it’s Donic missing. Well, you can’t question his confidence from out there, but it’s not falling. Maybe time for a different approach. Edwards inside. He’s defended by Reed. Reed misses. Donic looking it over from deep LeBron. And so it’s Los Angeles sitting with a comfortable lead up by 14. Their defense has been terrific in this game. Back dynamite on offense. Yeah, and in terms of slowing him down, I think they’re going to have to change things up. Give him some different looks. And so it’s Minnesota with it. They trail by 14. The guard pair will be Connley and Edwards. The big men on the floor for him, Randall and Goar. And it’s McDaniels at the small forward. So that’s the lineup for Minnesota. Off target from outside. Laker shooting has been terrific. 54% on the game. Reeves the pass to LeBron. Reeves with the screen on McDaniel. James with it. Picked up by Edwards. Bomb deep. Reeves hands it from downtown. Reeves has got the first points to start out the third quarter for the Lakers. Randall with a screen for Edwards. to the paint and there’s Randall on the assist from Edwards. Randle’s got 11. You know, they like Randall to be an offensive presence in the paint. They want him to be an option on every possession. To the inside. It’s stolen by Goel. And now Minnesota on the fast break. McDaniels dishes to Edwards from the baseline. Not enough on that one as it misses. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. So coach Van Gundy, after four defensive player of the year awards, his last coming in 2024, do you think Rudy Goar has a chance at another? Well, look, Kevin, I think Rudy continues to play at just as high a level defensively, but now as the game has changed, I think we’re starting to reward guys with those awards who can not only protect the rim and make it tough on teams, but can go out on the perimeter and guard multiple positions. So, I think it’ll be tough for him to get a fit. Well, offensively he’s doing his best to keep them in this game, but they might need someone else to step up as well. Freeze with the screen on outside and the Lakers with another miss. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game. Reeves against Edwards. Edwards with confidence. Now right there, Edwards uses the screen to create the space he needs. Pass to Donic. Right wing and a wide open look for Himura. Good. And the assist goes to Donic. Donic has got six assists in the game. McDaniels outside. No one near Connley as he lets it go. And again, Minnesota with the triple. Right back at you. Connley’s a counter puncher. He knows when his team needs a lift. LeBron against McDaniels. And they double up James. Eighton wide open again. Los Angeles. Look, if you double him, he’ll make a play for someone else. Pass to McDaniels. Back to Connley. There’s the three. Greavves with the rebound. Lakers leading by 12 over Connley again. Los Angeles. Not surprised at all. He’s shooting it well and scoring points in butches. Now here’s Randall. 11 points in the game. Go Bear with a screen for Edwards. Takes the three. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got doubledigit rebounds now in the game. To the middle. It’s stolen by Randall. Nick Daniels with the ball. He’s picked up by Donic. McDaniels kicks to Randall. And here’s Edwards from the arc. Knocks down the three ball. Edwards got six points in the quarter. Well, look, Edwards plays with a lot of confidence which makes him deadly off the catch. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the James. The pass to Donic. Now Weighton outside James. Pocket six near the three-point line. It’s Donic. It’s hauled in by Edwards. Edwards got four rebounds in this game. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Ally Leforce on the sidelines. Thanks, Kevin. The Lakers going out and acquiring superstar talent. And Luca Donuch, LeBron James said, “Everything I do on the floor, Donic has the ability to do it or even do it better. That’s how great he is. Even at his young age, he’s such a unique special player, a generational talent.” Back to you. They’re clearly happy to have him. Ally, as always, we appreciate your reporting. Here’s Goar off the mark and a chance to trim it to single digits. Reeves the pass to Himura shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws. Julius Randle picks one up. And when Hachimura is looking to score, it sometimes forces the D to get aggressive. Love the energy. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Well, their passing has been just exceptional, and it’s opened up the floor for them on numerous occasions. And another area they’ve separated themselves has been their three-point shooting, making the defense pay for any air space. And the first one at the line is good. Minnesota making a switch here. Venenzo’s checked in. off on that one. So, he goes one for two at the line. And a fourtime defensive player of the year, Rudy Goar is improving his perimeter defense as well, Greg. It’s helped his overall game. Yeah, teams have looked to pull him outside and test his lateral quickness, but I tell you, he holds up better than you think. And we know his presence at the rim. And here’s Donic from the arc rebound. Minnesota’s got four rebounds now tonight. Outside Edwards. Go with a screen for Edwards. shoots over Donic. Shot is good in the Los Angeles leads. Cut down now to just 10 on the basket from Edwards. Yeah, not sure why he faded away there. Sure looked like he had plenty of space. And the foul called on Edwards. That’s foul number two for him. The Lakers making a switch here. Smarts checked in. LeBron outside. Pass to Eightton. It’s stolen by Go. McDaniels outside. Now here’s Edwards. Guarded by Donic. Edwards against Donic. Just five to shoot. Tries it from 19. Rebounded by DeAndre Eaton. Eightton’s got 12 rebounds here tonight. Big time effort. LeBron dishes to Donic. Pass to Hatchimal. Minnesota with the rebound. McDaniels kicks to Randall. Outside Edwards inside and a miss there with a chance to cut the lead to single digits. Donich with it now. Defended by Goar. It’s going to be out of bounds. Los Angeles will retain possession. And he jumped out to that ball immediately. Great reaction on that deflection. Yeah. And you know they’re tracking the tips and deflections because that tells you who’s affecting the game. Minnesota making a switch here. Shannon’s checked in. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Cleba. The pass to Vanderbilt. Smart goes in and slam dunk by Smart. A headstrong guy. Smart excels going to the rim. Pass to go bear. And here’s Edwards. Lets the free fly. LeBron grabs the miss. LeBron’s got four rebounds now tonight. Here’s Donic. Back to James for the three. LeBron James making it look easy from deep. As if the league didn’t have enough to worry about with LeBron. He’s just become a better and better jump shooter. The Timberwolves again can’t hit Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt a screen on Devenenzo. Vanderbilt misses. Timberwolves trail by 15. Shannon passes to Devenenzo. Now Edwards, no. The Timberwolves need to get a shot off here. And he’s good on the three ball. Even Jenzo’s got himself going there. His first points of the game on the deep ball. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s ready to talk things through with them. The key thing, coach, that Dante D. Vincenzo brings to a team, Miller comes in for Julius Randall and it’s Clark in for Edwards. And then for the Lakers, Jake Lorabia is checked in for LeBron. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Donic. Pass to Lorravia. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Clea sets the screen for Reeves. Three-pointer. Miller grabs the miss. Well, that’s a shot the defense felt like they could live with and it worked out for him that time. Reed kicks to Miller. Vanderville with the steal. Reeves outside and a miss there on the triple and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Shannon, no good. Los Angeles leading by 12. Outside Smart. Vanderbilt setting the pick for Reeves offline with his three. Timber shooting 35% or so in the third quarter. Whatever they’re trying is not working. Up top. Devenenzo guarded by Smart. Shot clock at five. Back to Devenzo. Clark for three. The Lakers with the rebound. 107 left in the third quarter. Arabia passes to Vanderbilt down low. Here’s Shannon. And there’s the slam dunk to finish it off. Excellent on both ends of that play. Yeah, the steel was sharp, but the slam topped it off. And that is why you want to run off turnovers. Get down the floor before the defense is set. Reeds right side. Baseline. Jay on the way. Both loose. Timberwolves trail by 10. Pass to Clark. Two seconds separating the shot clock and game clock. Loravia passes to Reeds. Here’s Vanderbilt. Back to Reeves. Six to shoot. No good. And they can’t put an end to this drought. Well, through three quarters of play, down double digits. It may be difficult to overcome. Lakers on top, leading by 10. And we’re just moments away from the start of the fourth quarter. Stay with us. And now we have a moment to uh reveal our State Farm assist of the game. And the definition of teamwork right there, guys. I mean, what great communication between them and what a beautiful feed. Well, it’s one of the core parts of the game, reading the defense and creating an easy bucket for your teammate. That is pretty. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. Taking a look at the Lakers, we’ve got Jared Vanderbilt, Austin Reeves out there with Vincent. Then it’s Jake Laabia. And it’s Cleba in at the five spot.
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