It’s been a physical and intense series, with both exchanging pace-controlling wins. Who takes Game 3?
Catch the game on Saturday at 9:30 AM, Manila time
AWAY: Los Angeles Lakers (1-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- Luka Doncic
- Austin Reaves
- Rui Hachimura
- LeBron James
- Jaxson Hayes
After a lazy Game 1 that saw them admittedly unprepared, the Lakers came ready in Game 2, going up as much as 19 in the first half and eventually earning a 94-85 win. It came with some usual 4th Quarter hiccups, though, scoring just 13 in the period, so they better take note of that.
Luka Doncic has dropped 37 and 31 points in the series thus far, while LeBron James had 21-11-7 in Game 2 alongside good energy on defense after 19 pedestrian points in the opener. We’ll see what type of new looks they can give for tomorrow. Austin Reaves, meanwhile, has been mostly quiet, and ought to have a more assertive approach.
The rest of the hustle crew: Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt will once again be tasked to do the dirty work and also hit timely shots. Jaxson Hayes is somewhere in that group, but he’s been an outsider in the series due to his constant foul troubles – his minimal playoff experience is also glaring.
Overall, the Lakers will have to keep finding new ways to compensate for their lack of size against the T-Wolves.
HOME: Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1)
Projected Starting Five:
- Mike Conley
- Anthony Edwards
- Jaden McDaniels
- Julius Randle
- Rudy Gobert
The Timberwolves were flat in Game 2 as they got new looks from the Lakers, but as Anthony Edwards said in the postgame presser, they’ll “watch film and be ready.” That alone is intriguing.
Expect Edwards and company to feed off the wild Minnesota crowd. He’ll remain as the downhill and three-point-happy weapon that he is, but Julius Randle will have to bring his A-game on offense too. Look for the two to lead the offense. Edwards, in particular, should be able to get his good share – though at 40.9% in the series thus far, he’ll have to be more efficient.
Game 1 heroes Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid had quiet Game 2 performances, and they’ll hope to capture that shooting back, especially the former who made 11 of his 13 attempts.
Lastly, we’ll see how the coaching staff can get Rudy Gobert more involved. The big man is at 4.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game.
Minny will come out hyped and aggressive in their 2025 postseason opener. They are sure to toss their weight around the smaller Lakers, and they hope to keep it that way.
PICKS
Spread: Timberwolves (-3)
Over/Under: Over (206)
