Sometimes to even a playoff series, teams need an unsung hero to step up.
In the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 2 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, both teams had their fair share of struggles. However, the Lakers built a large lead in the first half that carried the team to a win in the second game of the series.
While the Lakers have three guys who can be the star of the show on any given night, none of them were necessarily showing their star ability. Luka Doncic led the way with 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists but didn’t dominate after his stellar first half. Meanwhile, LeBron James and Austin Reaves both had solid games, combining for 37 points, but didn’t have the impact many have come to expect.
Perhaps the actual star for the Lakers in Game 2 was the man calling the shots on the bench. On ESPN’s Get Up, Alan Hahn explained why the Lakers’ most important star wasn’t a player.
“This was a JJ Redick game,” Hahn said.
After a bad game in the series opener, the Lakers’ coach had his team better prepared to take on the Timberwolves in Game 2. After losing the bench battle dramatically in Game 1, the Lakers held Minnesota to only 19 bench points on Tuesday.
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While Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle managed to combine for a solid 52 points, no other Minnesota player hit the double-digit mark. After the Timberwolves looked like a well-oiled machine on offense in Game 1, everything looked difficult for them in Game 2, which could be a testament to Redick’s coaching.
Although the Lakers didn’t have the most convincing second half, Redick’s team still threw the first punch and built a large lead in the first and second quarters. Although the Lakers still need to put together a full 48 minutes, they did enough to get a win and tie the series going to Minnesota.
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