Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers

From their third seed position in Western Conference playoffs the Los Angeles Lakers anticipated facing a less challenging opponent in the postseason. The disrespectable loss against Minnesota proved to be an immediate major problem for Los Angeles Lakers since it marked their worst performance in recent years against a crucial opponent. Game 2 now has a mandatory win-or-die significance for the team since they suffered a 117–95 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at home in their first encounter.

During the matchup against Timberwolves both Doncic and James showed poor performance by accumulating nine turnovers. The performance of your two main players at an inadequate level makes winning difficult. The aggressive nature of James' performance remained questionable because he took only eighteen shots in the game. Following the game Luka Doncic scored 37 points whereas James possessed only 19 points. The lack of offensive depth prevents the Los Angeles Lakers from thinking about wins because Austin Reaves is the only other player besides LeBron James and Austin Reaves with double-digit scoring. The frontcourt section of their lineup has been virtually impotent in producing results since the team must now handle Julius Randle.

The Minnesota Timberwolves encountered major problems in this season when they surprisingly dealt Karl-Anthony Towns to get Julius Randle. Their placements finished sixth in the Western Conference regular season because their fit at the highest level appeared ill-conceived. Following their regular season position at sixth place they are facing an opponent from the Los Angeles Lakers but their conference finals experience last year will serve as valuable support in the playoffs. The question stays whether they will demonstrate enough quality to advance further into the playoffs.

When the Los Angeles Lakers leave Jaxson Hayes on the bench, their tallest available players are 6-foot-9 LeBron James, 6-foot-8 Rui Hachimura, and 6-foot-8 Jarred Vanderbilt. Despite standing at 7 feet, Hayes saw just eight minutes of action in Game 1—and none after the Timberwolves’ devastating 11-0 run to open the second half. By the 10-minute mark of the third quarter, he was benched for good.

To be fair, no Laker played well during that stretch, but Hayes’ struggles were particularly glaring:

• Defensive Breakdowns: On one possession, Anthony Edwards drove past him with no resistance, forcing Luka Dončić to help—which freed up Jaden McDaniels for an open corner three.

• Rebounding Woes: Hayes allowed Edwards to blow by him, then failed to box out, giving up an offensive rebound that led to a Julius Randle three-pointer.

• Transition Lapses: In one slow-motion fast break, Hayes lagged behind, leaving the rim unprotected for an easy McDaniels layup.

Hayes is a defensive liability outside the paint, and the Timberwolves will happily exploit this by setting perimeter screens with Rudy Gobert to force him into uncomfortable switches. When pulled away from the rim, he offers no resistance inside either.

While this may sound harsh, there’s a reason Hayes has logged 20+ minutes in just one playoff game in his entire career. If the Lakers can’t fix their defensive rotations—or find a more reliable big—Minnesota will keep targeting him mercilessly.

McDaniels went 8-of-10 inside the arc on Saturday and grabbed nine rebounds. This is where he shines. He has developed a midrange game, and when he misses those shots, he likes to go grab the offensive rebounds. With Hayes not around, no one in a yellow jersey can outreach McDaniels and his 6-foot-9 frame that is actually closer to 6-foot-11, no matter what the official listings claim.

In the Timberwolves’ playoff run last year, McDaniels tracked down at least six rebounds in four of 11 games in the first two rounds, and that was before he dialed up his rebounding this season. Since altering his focus around New Year’s, McDaniels tracked down at least seven rebounds in 25 of 50 games. It became an emphasis.

And it will be again against this undersized Lakers team. They simply lack anyone physical inside. McDaniels thrives against that deficiency.

His rebounding prop is set at 4.5 with the Over juiced to -145. Suggesting McDaniels find another two rebounds should not bring a boost of nearly two dollars. Pricing this milestone at +240 is foolish, certainly when considering McDaniels’s edges against Los Angeles.