The Minnesota Timberwolves ensured they’d earn a spot as one of the top-six teams in the West with a 116-105 win over the Utah Jazz tonight. Due to the Golden State Warriors losing to the LA Clippers, the Timberwolves now occupy the No. 6 seed and will face the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2025 Playoffs.
The matchup between the Lakers and Timberwolves is fascinating, with Laker fans already ecstatic about a potentially straightforward series win.
“Wolves vs Lakers! Pure smoke,” said Patrick Beverley, who’s represented both teams in the last five years.
“Minnesota. Coca-Cola. Motorola. Lakers in 5,” said one fan, mimicking Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Lakers in 5’ proclamation.
“Lakers in 2…. Idk how, but we ain’t losing this series,” said a fan, taking it a step further.
“Luka last year vs Minnesota: 32/9/8,” said another fan who reminded the Lakers fanbase how Doncic has already shredded the Wolves in the Playoffs before.
“Only worried about the size on the center position! Wish we had a legit big man,” said a Lakers fan worried about the potential size mismatch.
“Well, that’s a sweep. The Lakers are gonna kill,” said another fan.
“This is a better matchup. I didn’t wanna see the Warriors or the Clippers in the first round,” said one fan who was ecstatic about seeing the Wolves occupy the No. 6 seed.
Lakers fans are always confident, but this series against the Timberwolves is not a foregone conclusion.
Luka Doncic indeed averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists against them last season in the Conference Finals and eliminated them in five games. However, he’s no longer on the Dallas Mavericks, and the Lakers don’t have bigs like Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to stop the Wolves’ triple frontcourt of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid.
Anthony Edwards, the season-leader in made three-pointers, will be salivating to get his revenge on Doncic for last season’s Playoff loss. The Wolves might be the lower seed, but their tremendous inside size will be a major headache for any team, especially in a Playoff setting.
Similarly, Doncic’s ability to complete ly break down defenses while dribbling on the perimeter is among the most unique in NBA history. His style completely outmaneuvered the Timberwolves’ defense last season, but some new tricks need to be in his bag to ensure they can pull this one off again.
Thankfully, the Lakers can rely on the likes of LeBron, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Rui Hachimura to provide defensive size against the likes of Reid and Randle. Small-ball lineups will likely force the Wolves to keep Gobert on the bench, so Jaxson Hayes’ minutes might end up being greatly slashed.
This is a fascinating series, one which fans around the world will enjoy. Edwards will look to repeat the miracles that saw him eliminate the Denver Nuggets last season, while Doncic and LeBron will look to show why their superstar tandem is unbeatable in a situation like the Playoffs.
