LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers have been favored in Recreation 1 of their opening spherical collection of the NBA Playoffs towards the Minnesota Timberwolves, and within the collection total. However after their 117-95 loss to the Wolves, the Lakers have their backs to the wall heading into Recreation 2. An enormous issue within the Timberwolves’ win towards the Lakers was their physicality, one thing LeBron James believes the crew wanted to pay attention to.
Following the Lakers’ loss, LeBron James spoke concerning the bodily type of play the Timberwolves convey and the way the crew must be ready for it heading into Recreation 2.
“Once you play this Minnesota crew, they’re gonna be bodily. That’s what they bring about to the desk,” James stated. “Possibly it took us one playoff sport to now get a really feel for it and know what sort of depth and sort of physicality that’s being delivered to the sport. That’s simply the way in which they play. We must be greater than ready for that on Tuesday evening.”
The Lakers truly acquired off to a powerful begin within the first quarter behind Luka Doncic’s scorching taking pictures, and so they held a lead on the finish of 1. However within the second quarter, the Wolves outscored the Lakers, 38-20, and that set the tone for the remainder of the sport.
Associated Los Angeles Lakers InformationArticle continues beneath
The Wolves’ scorching taking pictures from three-point vary additionally performed a significant factor within the Lakers’ loss. Total, the Wolves shot 21-42 (50 %) from the three-point line with a great portion of their threes being wide-open. Limiting the Wolves’ quantity of three-point pictures is one thing that James believes the Lakers can management going into Recreation 2.
“We acquired to do a greater job of controlling the controllables. I don’t suppose we did a adequate job after the primary quarter,” James stated. “Giving up 21 threes, giving up 20-plus fast-break factors, second probability factors, these are a number of the issues that we will management.”
“Clearly the three-point taking pictures, we all know they’ve quite a lot of lasers. They’ve quite a lot of guys that may shoot from the perimeter,” James continued. “We acquired to do a greater job of closing out on the our bodies, getting out on shooters. We’ll get again within the movie room tomorrow, take a look at the issues we did effectively, a number of the issues we didn’t achieve this effectively and proceed to sport plan for Recreation 2.”
James specifically shook off a gradual begin within the first quarter of Recreation 1, and was capable of finding just a little little bit of a rhythm the remainder of the sport. He completed with 19 factors and shot 8-of-16 (50 %) from the second quarter on. The Lakers will look to even up the collection in Recreation 2 on Tuesday evening earlier than the collection shifts to Minnesota later within the week.