Timberwolves fired 50% from the three -point line to inflict a strong defeat to the No.3 sown Los Angeles Lakers in the opening game of their playoff series of the West Conference.
Jaden McDaniels collected 25 points with nine rebounds, and Anthony Edwards added 22 points, eight rebounds and nine assists when the Minnesota Timberwolves rolled to a 117-95 victory over Los Angeles Lakersce.
Naz Reid scored 23 points and Julius Randle had 16 as not. 6 seeds as the Timberwolves improved 5-0 in first-round games in the last two seasons.
Minnesota triggered 51.2 percent from the floor on Saturday and was 21 of 42 from a three-point range while continued its success from the end of the regular season, when it closed with a record of 17-4.
“I was just dating and playing with confidence,” McDaniels said in the ABC transmission. “I know that all my teammates trust me. [Edwards] He always tells me: ‘Shoot the ball whatever happens, strange or do’, and that’s what I did tonight. “
On an ideal night, the Timberwolves saw Edwards leave to the locker room at the end of the third quarter with an apparent left leg injury before returning in the last quarter. Reid also injured at the end of the game.
Luka Doncic scored 37 points with eight rebounds, and LeBron James added 19 points for Lakers No. 3, who fired 39.8 percent from the floor and lacked the energy present after Doncic was acquired in a February exchange of the Dallas Mavericks.
Austin Reaves had 16 points after a slow start to Los Angeles, which was overcome 25-6 at fast points and 43-13 at bank points.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The Lakers possessed the first quarter, taking an advantage of 28-21 before the Timberwolves tok loads in the second quarter to take an advantage of 59-48 in the half time. Minnesota fired 54.2 percent in the second quarter while scoring 38 points.
The Timberwolves punctuated their domain of the second quarter when Donte Divinzzo made a 30 -foot triple in the part -time bell.
The Timberwolves continued their thrust towards the second half, opening in an 11-0 race to take 70-48 less than 2 minutes in the third quarter.
Minnesota had an advantage of 88-64 when Edwards landed hard after a trip to the basket and returned to the locker room with 2:58 minutes remaining in the third quarter. He returned to the game with 10:57 minutes stirring in the game.
Reid departed with 9:26 minutes stirring after wearing an inadvertent elbow at the head of the Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt, but the Timberwolves were easily maintained to win the contest for 22 points.
In the previous playoff matches of the game 1 on Saturday, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98, the New York Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons 123-112, and the Denver Nuggets won an extra time thriller against Los Angeles 112-110.
