Game ID: 42400161
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Los Angeles Lakers
Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 8:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 28 20 30 17 95MIN 21 38 35 23 117
LAL vs MIN ScoutingLAL vs MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 4/08 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 8 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 8 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 5 min since (49% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/09 · back-to-backOUT Morris missed 9 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 9 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 3 min since (33% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 10 since 3/24, out tonight
OUT Len missed 10 since 3/24, out tonight
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 3 min since (27% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 11 since 3/24, returns tonight: 33 min (212% of 16)
OUT Len missed 11 since 3/24, returns tonight: 14 min (130% of 10)
BACK Milton back 4/04 after 6, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Jemison III back 4/04 after 5, 3 min since (30% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/19 · 5 days' restBACK Morris back 4/13 after 11, 33 min since (212% of 16)
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 14 min since (130% of 10)
NEW Milton 11 to 16 min over the last 3
LAL availability going into 4/22 · 2 days' restBACK Morris back 4/13 after 11, 33 min since (212% of 16)
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 8 min since (79% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restOUT Morris missed 2 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 8 min since (79% of 10)
NEW Milton 11 to 17 min over the last 3
LAL availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 3 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAL availability going into 4/30 · 2 days' restOUT Morris missed 4 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Len back 4/13 after 11, 6 min since (55% of 10)
NEW Dončić 36 to 42 min over the last 4
NEW James 35 to 41 min over the last 4
NEW Finney-Smith 29 to 35 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 4/08 · 2 days' restNEW Gobert 32 to 37 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/10 · 1 day's restOUT Dillingham missed 2 since 4/05, returns tonight: 1 min (8% of 10)
MIN availability going into 4/11 · back-to-backBACK Dillingham back 4/10 after 2, 1 min since (8% of 10)
MIN availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restBACK Dillingham back 4/10 after 2, 2 min since (21% of 10)
MIN availability going into 4/19 · 5 days' restBACK Dillingham back 4/10 after 2, 2 min since (21% of 10)
MIN availability going into 4/22 · 2 days' restOUT Dillingham missed 2 since 4/13, out tonight
MIN availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restOUT Dillingham missed 3 since 4/13, out tonight
MIN availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 2 since 4/22, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 4 since 4/13, out tonight
MIN availability going into 4/30 · 2 days' restOUT Clark missed 3 since 4/22, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 5 since 4/13, out tonight
NEW Randle 33 to 38 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 44 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 34 and James at 22 a game. 5 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Gobert at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 5 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 44 percent from three to Minnesota's 35 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-8 a night and the Lakers plus-0. Call it the Lakers 113, Minnesota 112, Minnesota keeping it close.
4/08 @ OKC 120-136 — LAL notes
LAL lost 120-136. LAL shot 46% (37 of 80) to OKC's 50%, 18 of 40 from three, and went to the line 37 times to OKC's 20 — 28 points from the stripe to their 14. LAL turned it over 18 times to OKC's 6, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. James led with 28 (8 of 19, 3 of 6 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Reaves added 24, Dončić 23. Q3 was theirs, 26-17, turning a 8-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 119-94 against them. James's -23 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/09 @ DAL 112-97 — LAL notes
LAL won 112-97. LAL shot 47% (42 of 90) to DAL's 50%, 12 of 36 from three. LAL turned it over 9 times to DAL's 19. Dončić led with 45 (16 of 28, 7 of 10 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); L. James added 27, Hachimura 15. The hinge was Q4, 29-21: a lead of 7 became 15. Finney-Smith was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
4/11 vs HOU 140-109 — LAL notes
LAL won 140-109. LAL shot 61% (53 of 87) to HOU's 46%, 19 of 37 from three, and went to the line 25 times to HOU's 12 — 15 points from the stripe to their 9. LAL turned it over 12 times to HOU's 18. Dončić led with 39 (13 of 19, 5 of 9 from three, 8 of 14 at the line); Reaves added 23, Finney-Smith 18. The hinge was Q2, 40-24: a lead of 6 became 22, and the lead reached 31. Vincent was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
4/13 @ POR 81-109 — LAL notes
LAL lost 81-109. LAL shot 39% (31 of 80) to POR's 44%, 9 of 28 from three, and got to the line 14 times to POR's 21. LAL turned it over 20 times to POR's 14. The glass went 42-56 against them. Knecht led with 27 (9 of 21, 5 of 12 from three); Milton added 16, Goodwin 12. Q4 was theirs, 20-20, but the other 3 periods went 89-61 against them. Knecht's -28 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/19 vs MIN 95-117 — LAL notes
LAL lost 95-117. LAL shot 40% (33 of 83) to MIN's 51%, 15 of 41 from three, and went to the line 16 times to MIN's 10 — 14 points from the stripe to their 8. Dončić led with 37 (12 of 22, 5 of 10 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); L. James added 19, Reaves 16. Q1 was theirs, 28-21, but the other 3 periods went 96-67 against them. Hachimura's -26 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/22 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 36 and James at 22 a game. 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 105, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 17 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-7 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 105 a night to the Lakers' 114. Call it Minnesota 113, the Lakers 111, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/25 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 38 and James at 20 a game. Without Morris (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-6 a night and the Lakers minus-1. Call it Minnesota 112, the Lakers 106.
4/27 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 98, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 23 a game. Without Morris (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 98 a night to the Lakers' 107 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-2. Call it Minnesota 112, the Lakers 104.
4/30 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 109, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 26 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morris (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Randle at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 14 times a game to Minnesota's 10. Call it Minnesota 109, the Lakers 107, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/08 @ MIL 103-110 — MIN notes
MIN lost 103-110. MIN shot 46% (41 of 89) to MIL's 48%, 13 of 40 from three, and got to the line just 9 times against 20 fouls committed. Edwards led with 25 (10 of 27, 2 of 11 from three); DiVincenzo added 24, Reid 17. Q3 was theirs, 34-25, but the other 3 periods went 85-69 against them. They led by as many as 24. Conley's -22 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/10 @ MEM 141-125 — MIN notes
MIN won 141-125. MIN shot 55% (48 of 87) to MEM's 52%, 20 of 44 from three, and went to the line 28 times to MEM's 21 — 25 points from the stripe to their 15. Edwards led with 44 (13 of 19, 7 of 11 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Randle added 31, Reid 14. The hinge was Q3, 52-25: MIN came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 22. MIN trailed 67-72 at the half and won the second half 74-53. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
4/11 vs BKN 117-91 — MIN notes
MIN won 117-91. MIN shot 55% (42 of 77) to BKN's 37%, 11 of 31 from three, and went to the line 29 times to BKN's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 13. Gobert led with 35 (13 of 17, 9 of 14 at the line); Randle added 21, McDaniels 11. The hinge was Q3, 34-21: a lead of 12 became 25, and the lead reached 28. Randle was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
4/13 vs UTA 116-105 — MIN notes
MIN won 116-105. MIN shot 47% (46 of 98) to UTA's 45%, 13 of 43 from three. The glass went 54-40 for them. Edwards led with 43 (15 of 31, 7 of 18 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Gobert added 19, DiVincenzo 16. The hinge was Q3, 40-28: a lead of 1 became 13, and the lead reached 18. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
4/19 @ LAL 117-95 — MIN notes
MIN won 117-95. MIN shot 51% (44 of 86) to LAL's 40%, 21 of 42 from three, and got to the line 10 times to LAL's 16. McDaniels led with 25 (11 of 13, 3 of 3 from three); Reid added 23, Edwards 22. The hinge was Q2, 38-20: MIN came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 27. McDaniels was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
4/22 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 36 and James at 22 a game. 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 105, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 17 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-7 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 105 a night to the Lakers' 114. Call it Minnesota 113, the Lakers 111, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/25 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 38 and James at 20 a game. Without Morris (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-6 a night and the Lakers minus-1. Call it Minnesota 112, the Lakers 106.
4/27 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 98, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 23 a game. Without Morris (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 98 a night to the Lakers' 107 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-2. Call it Minnesota 112, the Lakers 104.
4/30 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 109, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and James at 26 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morris (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Randle at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 14 times a game to Minnesota's 10. Call it Minnesota 109, the Lakers 107, the Lakers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAL A. Len
AR A. Reaves
BJ B. James
DF D. Finney-Smith
DK D. Knecht
DO Doncic
GV G. Vincent
JG J. Goodwin
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
RH R. Hachimura
SM S. Milton
MINAE A. Edwards
DD D. DiVincenzo
JC J. Clark
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
JR J. Randle
LG L. Garza
LM L. Miller
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
TS T. Shannon Jr.
LAL/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Timberwolves rout Lakers 117-95 in 1st-round series opener, overcoming Luka Doncic's 37 points
LOS ANGELES -- — 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.”