There was some tension in the air during Game 2 of the first-round series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. At one point in the second quarter, Naz Reid appeared to tell Austin Reaves, “I’ll slap the sh*t out of you,” but the Lakers guard didn’t back down and had something to say in response as well.
Naz Reid: “I’ll slap the shit out of you.”
Austin Reaves: “Shut tf up”
LMFAOO AR a dawg man
— 𝙉𝘼𝙅 (@najeeadams_) April 23, 2025
You’d love to see that if you’re a Lakers fan. The Lakers were not able to handle the Timberwolves’ physicality in Game 1, but they were up for any sort of challenge in Game 2.
Reaves, in particular, seemed keen to make amends for his woeful performance in the 117-95 loss on Saturday. The 26-year-old had 16 points (5-13 FG), three rebounds, and three assists in Game 1 and was repeatedly hunted on defense, too.
Reaves vowed to play better in Game 2, and he did, even though his numbers didn’t jump off the screen. He had 16 points (7-14 FG), five rebounds, and five assists as the Lakers won 94-85. It was a much better showing on defense from Reaves and the team as a whole.
While Reaves bounced back, Reid was unable to replicate his heroics from Game 1. He had 23 points that night in the win, but put up just nine points (3-8 FG), two rebounds, one assist, and three steals in Game 2.
It would be unrealistic to expect Reid to hit the 20-point mark every game, but he needs to be better than he was in Game 2, or else the Timberwolves will be in a bit of trouble. They still have the edge in this series thanks to that win on the road in Game 1, but they will have to battle hard in these next two games to retain home-court advantage.
Austin Reaves Admitted The Lakers Got Punked In Game 1
The difference in energy between Games 1 and 2 for the Lakers was night and day. Reaves was asked postgame if anything had been said to the team beforehand that got them playing with the kind of physicality and energy that was needed against this Timberwolves team.
“I think it just goes back to the other night when we basically got punked,” Reaves said. “You call a spade a spade. They come in here Game 1 and punked us. And you could tell from the energy in the locker room after the game that nobody was worried about what we have. We just had to go out there and compete every single possession.
“Like you said, we had a very good practice yesterday,” Reaves continued. “And that just kind of ensured where the headspace was. The knowing of what we were going to have to do to come out here and get a win.”
After Game 1, LeBron James stated the Lakers will be better prepared for the Timberwolves’ physicality on Tuesday. They indeed were, but you do wonder how costly that loss might prove to be. The Lakers now need to figure out a way to snatch back home-court advantage, and they’ll get their first chance at that in Game 3 at Target Center on Friday at 9:30 PM ET.
