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The Los Angeles Lakers ran out to a 58-43 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half of their Game 2 clash in the first round of the 2025 Playoffs. The Lakers came into this game down 0-1 after dropping Game 1 at home, making this almost a must-win for the franchise.
Luka Doncic has put on a show with 22 points in the first half, outscoring the Timberwolves' entire roster in the first quarter (16-15). He's trash-talking the Wolves relentlessly in this game, with a clip of him asking the Wolves to sub Rudy Gobert out after attacking him for multiple buckets in the first half.
"Sub him out."
LUKA SAID “SUB HIM OUT” AFTER COOKING RUDY https://t.co/VwMTuA8Fnt pic.twitter.com/Vu2VhiEoBS
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 23, 2025
Doncic is mic'd up, so the NBA officially shared a clip of him telling his teammates that he tried imitating Stephen Curry by staring at the Wolves' bench after hitting a three-pointer.
"After the shot, I looked at the bench. I did my best Steph impression."
Luka: "After the shot... I looked at the bench... I did my best Steph impression."
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2025
Game respects game pic.twitter.com/czapw5ZDYi
Luka is putting on a show in Game 2, and the home fans are loving it. The cheers are getting raucous when Luka gets Gobert on a switch, let alone after a bucket.
Given Doncic put up 37 points and eight rebounds in their Game 1 loss, it's clear he's dialed into Playoff basketball already. After all, Doncic has the second-highest Playoff scoring average (31.0) in NBA history behind Michael Jordan (33.4).
He's on course for a potential 40-point game tonight if he continues playing at such a high level. His production does often slow down in the second half as the Lakers play a lot more through LeBron James, but if Doncic has a hot hand, the Lakers will do everything they can to feed the 26-year-old Slovenian.
Anything Doncic does against the Timberwolves is extra meaningful given he has a pre-existing competitive rivalry with the franchise after eliminating them from the 2024 Western Conference Finals.
Doncic averaged a ridiculous 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists that series, so he knows he can dismantle the Wolves' vaunted defense based on his production alone. He doesn't have the tailor-made Mavericks roster he had last year, but he's still the same lethal force he was against this franchise.
The Lakers can't afford to lose this game and go on the road while trailing 0-2 in the first round, so they have to hold onto their 15-point lead until the end. If Luka can continue scoring at a high level, this win will be easily sealed in the Lakers' favor.
More must-reads:
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- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
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