John Hollinger Offers Surprising Prediction For Lakers vs Timberwolves Series

Superstar Doncic isn't quite playing at his Dallas Mavericks level yet with Los Angeles, but he's already showing flashes of the superstar he can be.

"The most interesting facet of the series involves the Lakers and their continuing effort to incorporate Doncic," Hollinger writes. "Despite some awesome individual games, his numbers as a Laker are down pretty sharply from Dallas, and L.A.’s stats with him and LeBron James together aren’t imposing (just a plus-2.0 net rating)."

As Hollinger observes, the Lakers went "just" 18-10 in their 28 games with Doncic this season. In fairness, Doncic was easing his way back from a lingering calf injury for much of his first month with the team.

Hollinger notes that Minnesota is not an elite 3-point shooting team, which will let the Lakers play sub-par defenders like Reaves and Doncic against non-threatening Timberwolves perimeter pieces.

"The nice thing for L.A. is that the Wolves’ perimeter threats aren’t that threatening, affording the Lakers easy hiding spots for their bad individual wing defenders while they load everyone up for Anthony Edwards," Hollinger writes. "Can they get away with playing [6-foot-7 forward] Dorian Finney-Smith at center against Minnesota’s huge front line? Those lineups were key to L.A.’s success in the second half of the season."

Hollinger goes on to note that, after the Lakers' franchise-altering Doncic trade, Los Angeles and Minnesota only faced off once. Although the Lakers won, they were playing a Timberwolves franchise without four-time Defensive Player of the Year center Rudy Gobert and three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle.

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"The Wolves are bigger, deeper and went 17-4 in their last 21 games," Hollinger allows. "It shocks me that nobody is picking Minnesota. Either team is a credible conference finalist, but in the end, I’m going to ride with L.A.’s superior star power. Pick: Lakers in 7."

The Lakers have two of the league's best 15 or so players this season. The Timberwolves have one. Sometimes, that can be the difference, even if Minnesota has an edge in size and depth.

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