The Los Angeles Lakers entered the playoffs with championship aspirations, but their start hasn’t been encouraging.
On Saturday, the Lakers began their playoff run with a blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While the Timberwolves looked to have an advantage over the Lakers in the first game, the Lakers still responded in a big way.
In Tuesday night’s Game 2 victory, the Lakers got out to a big lead early. Thanks to stellar play from tipoff from Luka Doncic, the Lakers built an advantage that would turn out to be insurmountable.
However, nothing about the Lakers’ second half was particularly convincing. While the Lakers held off seemingly every Minnesota push, it had more to do with the Timberwolves missing shots than anything the Lakers were doing.
While the same could be said about the Lakers on the other end, their inability to put the game away could be something to watch as the postseason continues. The Timberwolves still went into Los Angeles and got the split, but Brian Windhorst finds no reason for either team to feel good about what transpired over the past few days.
“One of these two teams thinks they can run through the West playing this way?” Windhorst asked on Wednesday’s First Take.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Windhorst cited the Oklahoma City Thunder’s dominance to begin their postseason run, getting two blowout wins against the 48-win Memphis Grizzlies. Considering the Lakers or Timberwolves would have to go through them to make a Finals run, these matchups have done nothing to help their confidence.
Considering the Lakers have been a trendy pick to make it out of the West since trading for Luka Doncic, their lack of consistency against Minnesota has been eye-opening. While the playoffs have only just begun, the Lakers still have a lot to prove if they want to achieve their goals.
MORE LAKERS NEWS
- Luka Doncic just did something Kobe Bryant never accomplished in a Lakers uniform
- JJ Redick offers four-word explanation after key decision in Lakers-Timberwolves
- Luka Doncic's former teammate repeats three words while describing wild behind the scenes of Lakers trade