Aside from the wild L.A. Clippers-Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series, the Los Angeles's ongoing matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves has been an affair to remember.
Minnesota dominated Game 1 in Crypto.com Arena, exposing first-year Lakers head coach JJ Redick's questionable initial defensive scheme and making a whopping 50 percent of their triples. Role players Naz Reid (23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, plus 1-of-2 shooting from the foul line) and Jaden McDaniels (25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field) enjoyed terrifically efficient shooting nights.
The Timberwolves also massacred L.A. defensively, with starting point guard Mike Conley being their only weakness among rotation players on that end.
Los Angeles responded in kind, making some major tweaks defensively (notably, prioritizing forward Dorian Finney-Smith in small-ball lineups without traditional fives and limiting starting center Jaxson Hayes' minutes) en route to a 94-85 win at home.
Now, the series is knotted up at 1-1 as it heads to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 tips off on Friday.
More Los Angeles Lakers News: Lakers Release Injury Report for Game 3 vs Timberwolves
Per Marco Wutz of ESPN, a playoff simulation using NBA 2K25 projects that the Lakers will dominate the Timberwolves the rest of the way, wrapping up the rest of the series without dropping a game en route to a 4-1 series victory.
The biggest X-factor on offense behind the Lakers' success is, perhaps unsurprisingly, its best player. Five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic is averaging a spectacular 34.0 points on .500/.389/.950 shooting splits, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.
More Los Angeles Lakers News: Lakers Expected to Win Timberwolves Series for Surprising Reason
His counterpart, All-NBA Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, is the more complete two-way player, but doesn't quite have Doncic's unreal passing acumen. The 23-year-old is averaging 23.5 points on .409/.353/.833 shooting splits, 7.0 boards, 4.5 dimes and 0.5 steals through his first two games of the series.
Doncic is fast becoming one of the signature fresh faces of modern sports. The 6-foot-6 pro recently starred in a flashy new Gatorade ad, alongside six-time All-Star Boston Celtics power forward Jayson Tatum and others. Edwards was nowhere to be found — although he's hardly hurting for endorsements, to be fair.
Per Gatorade PR, Doncic reflected on how his flashy game belies his aggressive competitiveness.
"Success is about more than just highlights," Doncic said. "It’s about the sweat you put into your craft and the lessons you pick up along the way."
Understandably, Doncic has learned plenty this season. The 26-year-old superstar was flipped to the Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks — after leading them to the NBA Finals just last summer — in a blockbuster midseason trade, after having recently procured a massive mansion in the Dallas area.
Now, he aspires to return to the NBA Finals for a second straight season, albeit as part of the 50-32 Lakers and with a new All-Star running mate, 40-year-old LeBron James.
NBA 2K25 thinks L.A. can at least ace the first step of its journey and make quick work of Minnesota. Time will tell if it's on to something.
More Los Angeles Lakers News:
Pau Gasol Sent Special Message to Lakers' Luka Doncic After Epic Return to Dallas
Western Conference Executive Compares Lakers' Austin Reaves to Undrafted Hall of Famer
Los Angeles Insider Walks Back Criticism of Bronny James with Honest Admission
Lakers Linked to $100 Million Blazers Star as Summer Trade Target
For the latest Los Angeles Lakers news and notes, stay glued to Los Angeles Lakers On SI.
More must-reads: