Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in a tough game at Crypto.com Arena last night. After the Lakers tied the series at 1-1 in Game 2, Luka spoke to the media about the pressure the Lakers are facing going to Minnesota and how they plan to tackle it after giving away the home-court advantage.
“Obviously not panic. Me and Bron, the leaders of the team, we got to keep the team together. Like I said, going into Minnesota is going to be a war. The fans are going to be cheering like crazy. No matter what , we can’t panic; we got to stick together. That’s up to me and Bron to keep the team together”, he said.
Luka Doncic, who scored 16 points in the first quarter of Game 2, finished the game one assist shy of a triple-double. He had 31 points, 9 assists, and 12 rebounds in the game. Luka Doncic has averaged 34.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in two games they played against Minnesota in this series.
Meanwhile, LeBron James also quietly had an extremely efficient night, nearly resulting in a triple-double. He finished the game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. James has averaged 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in this series so far.
What Happened Last Time Luka Doncic And LeBron James Went To Minnesota In The Playoffs?
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves (4-1) in the Western Conference Finals. Despite the home-court advantage for the Timberwolves, Luka Doncic dominated that matchup and, with Kyrie Irving’s help, destroyed the Timberwolves at home.
In the 3 games that Luka played in Minnesota, he nearly averaged a triple-double with 33.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. Therefore, it is not too far-fetched to assume that Luka knows how to deal with pressure in Minnesota, and he is best equipped to lead the team with LeBron James.
LeBron James, on the other hand, despite over two decades in the NBA, has never faced Minnesota in the playoffs before. So while LeBron may bring a lot of experience to the table for the Lakers, he is still fairly new on how to deal with the Minnesota fans. There is no doubt that LeBron James can handle high-pressure situations like he has on his multiple (10) trips to the NBA Finals. However, Minnesota will be more familiar ground for Luka to lead from the front.
Should Anthony Edwards Play With A Chip On His Shoulder?
When Luka Doncic dismantled the Timberwolves last season, Anthony Edwards faced a lot of criticism over messing up the home-court advantage. Despite Anthony Edwards averaging 24.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 5 games played in that series.
However, he arguably played better away from home in the Western Conference Finals last season. Therefore, to regain control over the media’s narrative about Luka dominating Minnesota at home, Edwards needs to play with a chip on his shoulder, especially in home games. In this series so far, Anthony Edwards has averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. While his performance seems to have deteriorated this year, there are still potentially five games left in the series.
Having evened out the Lakers’ home-court advantage, the Timberwolves now have a chance to assert control over the series at home in Games 3 and 4. Will Anthony Edwards be able to take his revenge on Luka Doncic or will the Slovenian Maestro dominate once again? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
