admin
Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves will get started at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday. It will be the first time the Lakers have begun a playoff series at home since 2012, and Crypto.com Arena is sure to be filled with ample energy and noise as they begin their quest for their 18th NBA championship.
This should be a competitive series, and it will feature plenty of star power. While plenty are picking Los Angeles to win, it isn’t a foregone conclusion that L.A. will advance.
The experts at our NBA wires sites have already chimed in on what they feel will happen in this series. Now, we look at what other experts elsewhere are saying and predicting about this matchup.
Yahoo Sports: Lakers in 7
“As it is the Lakers are a hastily constructed outfit around Dončić and James, which is one heck of a starting point,” wrote Ben Rohrbach. “They have Austin Reaves, and the three of them form the basis for an offense that can create just about anything.
“There are Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent and a collection of increasingly less reliable options beyond the Lakers’ talented trio. They have no reliable center, and there are holes everywhere on defense, but they have Dončić, and with that they have a chance.
“… Dončić owned the Timberwolves as a member of the Mavericks in last season’s Western Conference finals, and now he has James at his side. Together they can solve Minnesota’s defense. Barely.”
The Athletic: Lakers in 6
“This series feels more like a conference semifinals or conference finals bout than a first-round matchup,” wrote Jovan Buha. “These teams were separated by one win in the regular season. The Wolves made the conference finals last season. The Lakers have looked like a group capable of getting there — when healthy — post-Dončić trade.
“… They have the second-best record within the conference, the second-best home record and two top-10 players. They have two of the best players in the series, and possibly three of the best four when factoring in [Austin] Reaves. That’s just too much scoring, shot creation and playmaking to overcome.
“The Wolves’ defense will challenge them, but they don’t have good matchups for Dončić or James’ individual brilliance.”
The Sporting News: Lakers in 7
“These are two seasoned teams that are going to be ready for each other,” wrote Stephen Noh. “Doncic raises his game to another level every year in the playoffs, as does LeBron James. They have the ability to pick apart defenses. Minnesota’s is a difficult one to do that against.
“The Lakers have a lot of firepower aside from those two. Austin Reaves is in the midst of a breakout campaign. Dorian Finney-Smith has given the team another shooter to put on the floor. Rui Hachimura has proved that his shooting isn’t a fluke. They’re going to be tough to stop.
“… My prediction is that it comes down to a Game 7, where the Lakers will play at home and have the advantage. It’s tough to bet against LeBron and Luka in that situation.”
Sam Quinn, CBS Sports: Lakers in 6
“Minnesota will own the glass in this series, but that’s not going to be enough,” Quinn wrote. “The Lakers have so much ball-handling that they will be able to hunt for the weak links here. The Lakers have weak links too, but given the non-shooters in Minnesota’s rotation, they’ll just double Anthony Edwards and make someone else beat them. The Lakers are better equipped to win that sort of series.”
#experts #nation #Lakers #Timberwolves
