Timberwolves Talkers: Minnesota blown out by the Luka Doncic-led Lakers

Minnesota scored points in the first six minutes of Friday s playoff rematch in Los Angeles to build an -point advantage History was set to repeat from April Until it wasn t Minnesota was out-scored - over the final minutes in a - loss to the Lakers to drop to - on the young season Here are the Timberwolves Talkers from Friday s match Where s the defense The Timberwolves spoke throughout training camp about ascend back to a truly elite defensive level this season Has the opposite occurred Wolves radio voice Alan Horton posted on X com that Minnesota s defensive rating Friday the Wolves allowed points per possessions was their second-worst defensive performance of the last years The lackluster showing came off the heels of a season opener in Portland in which Minnesota played approximately one quarter of quality defense After emphasizing that end of the floor in training camp early results suggest Minnesota could be in line for major defensive slippage this season Luka Magic Los Angeles is without LeBron James who s in the present out while battling sciatica But the Lakers still have Luka Doncic who was far and away the best competitor on the floor Friday Doncic shredded Minnesota to the tune of points rebounds and eight assists It didn t matter who Minnesota put on the Slovenian superstar Jaden McDaniels Jaylen Clark Anthony Edwards Doncic cooked them all He got wherever he required whenever he sought and executed once he uncovered his spots A slimmed down Doncic looks every bit like an MVP contender at the season s outset Rotation updates The top seven have settled in as Donte DiVincenzo Anthony Edwards Rudy Gobert Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels in the starting lineup with Naz Reid and Terrence Shannon Jr in as the first reserves Mike Conley was again one of the first eight Wolves to play Friday but he logged just nine minutes as he picked up three quick fouls in his opening stint and has struggled in two games against two bigger teams Jaylen Clark and Bones Hyland both entered in the second quarter Whether Hyland has entrenched himself in a -man rotation has surpassed Conley in the pecking order or has merely been a fill-in while Conley works through early-season struggles remains to be seen Rob Dillingham certainly made his season debut early in the fourth quarter but his action was short-lived as he exited the tournament with a nose injury after battling defensively down low just a couple possessions after subbing in Dillingham recounted reporters postgame he suffered a broken nose That injury doesn t usually lead to long absences in the NBA Edwards scores One bright spot for the Timberwolves was the sustained scoring success of Anthony Edwards After dropping in the season opener in Portland Edwards scored another efficient points on Friday The noteworthy part of Edwards performance was how nonchalant it was There were lengthy periods of the event in which the guard s impact wasn t felt which was an issue given the Lakers have no one to match up with the all star but by encounter s end Edwards again eclipsed the -point plateau It suggests Edwards could make a legitimate run at the scoring title this season Related Articles Frederick Chris Finch is at his best when he s not beholden to anything or anyone Shipley Sports and gambling strange and terrible bedfellows Timberwolves coach Chris Finch explains decisions to start Donte DiVincenzo play Bones Hyland Frederick One event in Anthony Edwards looks unguardable and everything seems workable Timberwolves rally to beat the Trail Blazers - in season opener