The Los Angeles Lakers have copped a humbling 117-95 drubbing by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their NBA playoffs opener despite Luka Doncic’s 37-point night.
With superstars Doncic and LeBron James on deck, the third-seeded Lakers opened a playoff series at home with a full building for the first time since 2012.
But they were overwhelmed by the sixth-seeded Timberwolves’ shot-making and poise.
While the Lakers are still searching for chemistry after acquiring Doncic two months ago, Minnesota are eager to improve on last season’s run to the Western Conference finals.
Anthony Edwards had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the visitors while Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points and Naz Reid added 23 with six 3-pointers.
Minnesota weathered Doncic’s 16-point first quarter in front of a roaring LA crowd then took control with a 38-20 second quarter and poured it on after halftime, showcasing their veteran poise and playoff experience.
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.
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.
Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
It was a bad start to the playoffs for the LA-based teams, with the Clippers losing to the Denver Nuggets 112-110 in overtime in Denver after ruining a 43-for-86 shooting performance with uncharacteristic sloppiness on offense.
“If you turn over 20 times (with seven from Kawhi Leonard) against the team that is No.1 in offensive transition, then you’re gonna lose the game,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue after his team blew a 15-point halftime lead.
The Clippers went in as the league’s hottest team after winning 18 of their last 21 games.
Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double for the Nuggets while Aaron Gordon added 25 points and Jamal Murray 21 and former Clippers star Russell Westbrook returned to haunt his old team with late clutch plays.
The Nuggets improved to 4-0 under interim coach David Adelman, who took over after the stunning dismissals of coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth on the eve of the playoffs.
In the Eastern conference, the New York Knicks started their first-round series against the Detroit Pistons with a 123-112 home win as Jalen Brunson overcame a slow start to score 34 points.
And the Indiana Pacers thumped the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 in their opener as Pascal Siakim led the way with 25 points and seven rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points and 12 rebounds but the difference was defence.
Indiana negated Antetokounmpo’s impact over the final three quarters with traps and double teams. The result: Antetokounmpo had only one assist and nobody else scored more than 15 points.
