Timberwolves rout Lakers 117-95 in 1st-round series opener, overcoming Luka Doncic’s 37 points

Anthony Edwards was not at all surprised when the Minnesota Timberwolves showed enough talent and togetherness to turn Luka Doncic’s playoff debut with the Lakers into a rout for the visitors.

Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points, Naz Reid added 23 with six 3-pointers, and the Timberwolves overcame Doncic’s 37-point effort for a 117-95 victory Saturday night.

Edwards had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the first-round series opener for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who have won 18 of their last 22 games.

“I got a great group of guys,” Edwards said. “But it wasn’t tonight. I learned that in training camp. It just takes a minute for us to gel as a new team. It just took a minute for us to figure each other out, and I feel like now we just go.”

The Timberwolves weathered Doncic’s 16-point first quarter in front of a roaring LA crowd before taking control with a 38-20 second quarter.

They poured it on after halftime, too. Julius Randle and Edwards hit four 3-pointers apiece as the Timberwolves made a franchise playoff-record 21 3-pointers on 42 attempts — with many of those shots taken without a defender in sight.

“It means Game 1,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “We know it’s going to be a long series. We’re not under any assumption that it’s going to be this type of game in Game 2. It’ll be a completely different game. We got a lot left. A lot of meat on the bone out there. A lot of things. I know we can do better.”

LeBron James had 19 points to begin his 18th NBA postseason, but the third-seeded Lakers were overwhelmed by the Wolves’ shot-making and playoff poise.

“This Minnesota team, they’re going to be physical,” James said. “That’s what they bring to the table. It took us one game … (to) understand that. They took homecourt advantage from us tonight, but we have to control the controllables, and if we do that, we’ll have a much better chance to win than we did tonight.”

While Los Angeles is still searching for chemistry after acquiring Doncic two months ago, Minnesota is eager to improve on last season’s run to the Western Conference finals.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

One day after the Dallas Mavericks’ season ended in the Play-In Tournament, Doncic produced the 11th-highest scoring playoff game of his career — and it wasn’t nearly enough, thanks to the Timberwolves’ prolific team effort.

“I think the first quarter, we played the way we play,” Doncic said. “I think we played physical. Everyone was locked in, and then we just kind of let go of the rope. So we’ve got to be way more physical.”

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