, the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs officially kicked off, with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first game of the series. The game was held at the Lakers' home court, CryptoNet Arena. However, the Lakers did not get off to an ideal start in the playoffs, and eventually lost to the Timberwolves 95-117, temporarily trailing 0-1 in the series .

In this game, the Lakers showed a strong home court momentum. In the first quarter, led by Doncic and James, they had a good start and had a good outside touch, taking the lead. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led their opponents by 7 points. However, after entering the second quarter, the game suddenly changed. The Timberwolves quickly adjusted their strategy, suppressing the Lakers on both offense and defense, scoring 38 points in a single quarter, while limiting the Lakers to only 20 points, turning the tide and entering the second half with an 11- point advantage.

After the start of the second half, the Lakers tried to adjust through defense and rotation. Doncic continued to output on the offensive end, and contributed multiple difficult scores in the third quarter. But the Timberwolves continued to fire. McDaniels, Reed and Edwards continued to work hard to continuously expand the score gap. Entering the final quarter, the Lakers tried to catch up many times, but the Timberwolves' offensive was still fierce. In the end, the Lakers lost by a huge difference of 22 points and missed their first win in the playoffs.

Lakers player statistics:

Doncic 37 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, James 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, Reeves 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, Hachimura 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, Knecht 5 points, 3 rebounds, Finney-Smith 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, Vincent 3 points, 1 assist, Vanderbilt 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, Hayes 1 point, 3 rebounds, Ryan 4 rebounds, Goodwin 1 assist

Timberwolves player statistics:

McDaniels 25 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, Reid 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, Edwards 22 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, Randle 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, DiVincenzo 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, Conley 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, Walker 7 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, Gobert 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, Garza 2 points, 1 rebound, Clark 2 points, Miller 1 rebound

After losing this game, the Lakers need to adjust quickly, especially on the defensive end. If the team wants to win back a game in the series, it must rely on the stable performance of Doncic and James, and more role players need to step up to share the pressure.

The second game of the series will continue tomorrow. The Lakers will seek a rebound opportunity at home, while the Timberwolves hope to continue to pursue their victory and keep the initiative of the series firmly in their own hands.