Apr 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) moves the ball against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Lakers' Luka Doncic Talks Ongoing Rudy Gobert Playoff Feud

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Apr 19, 2025 12:45 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers are taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. While they were hoping for an easier series to start out the playoffs, they still have home-court advantage for the entire series.

Luka Doncic is going to be the best player on the court during every game of the series. He was able to take down the Wolves last year while he was with the Mavericks en route to making the NBA Finals.

Doncic is not a fan of big man Rudy Gobert. Quite frankly, Gobert is disliked by a lot of other players around the NBA.

Ahead of Game 1 of the series, Doncic talked about going against Gobert and why he likes playing against him so much.

Luka Doncic tells @malika_andrews why he loves playing against Rudy Gobert

"I just like to go against centers."

Lakers-Timberwolves Game 1 | 8:30 PM | ABC pic.twitter.com/7iRfDjsmfv
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 19, 2025

"I think he's a great defender. I don't know what it is, I just like to go against centers. When you go against the best, you got to be at the top, so that's what I try to do."

Doncic loves getting switched onto centers. He can easily get by them or pull up and hit a shot in their face. He did that last year during a game against Gobert for the win.

Gobert is one of the best defenders in the league. There is a reason that he won the Defensive Player of the Year four times, including last year.

Doncic respects that and loves going against the best. That's why he elevates his game every time he sees Gobert on the court.

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The Lakers are going to need more than Doncic in order to win this series. LeBron James and Austin Reaves are going to need to be big-time scorers, as well.

How they are able to defend Anthony Edwards is going to be a big key to winning this series, too. Edwards is one of the best guards in the league and he can score from anywhere on the court.

After being traded to the Lakers, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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