Anthony Edwards likes being the underdog in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Western Conference playoffs are always a bloodbath, and this season is no exception.
Edwards, alongside teammates Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, is poised to take on the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, who have superstars like LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Edwards has already expressed his feelings about playing against LeBron. On top of that, Luka and the Dallas Mavericks unceremoniously dumped the Minnesota Timberwolves out of the Western Conference Finals in five games last season.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Timberwolves aren’t favoured by the experts in this series.
The Lakers are NBA royalty, and it’s not often that they don’t get the media’s support unless there are glaring problems with the team.
With the Lakers now having Doncic alongside LeBron , and Austin Reaves playing the way he is, ESPN’s top NBA analysts do not doubt who is winning the upcoming playoff battle.
Motivation pic.twitter.com/iL1qPiizKt
— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) April 14, 2025
Big names like Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon think the Wolves will lose in six games, while some like Marc J. Spears think the series will go to seven with the same result.
With predictions like this, the underdog narrative writes itself, and Ant is loving every minute.
What sets the 23-year-old Timberwolves superstar apart is his supreme confidence in himself and his talents on the basketball court.
Asked about the national media’s takes, Edwards said, “Yeah. I just love it, it’s dope. I love the fact that everybody wants the Lakers to win.
“That’s how it’s supposed to be, they don’t want the Timberwolves to win. I get it.”
Anthony Edwards on if he likes the national media picking the Lakers to win
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) April 16, 2025
Yea(smiling) I just love it, it’s dope. I love the fact that everybody wants the lakers to win. That’s how it’s supposed to be, they don’t want the Timberwolves to win. I get it” pic.twitter.com/PUOHWWrs5a
With all the narratives surrounding Doncic’s stunning trade and James’ limitless quest for more rings, Antman is feeding on all the media hype to make some noise in the playoffs.
The Lakers and the Wolves played each other four times during the regular season, although three of those games were before Doncic’s arrival. Here’s a look at the scores from those four games.
Lakers | 111-102 | Timberwolves |
Lakers | 87-97 | Timberwolves |
Lakers | 80-109 | Timberwolves |
Lakers | 110-103 | Timberwolves |
Despite it being 2-2, the most telling result for the series was the 111-102 Lakers win on February 27th, 2025.
Reaves and Doncic both had over 20 points, while LeBron dominated with 33 points and 17 rebounds.
The Lakers will also have home-court advantage, and although it promises to be a scintillating series, it’s fair to say that the advantage lies with the Lakers.
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