The Los Angeles Lakers got off to a rough start in their opening-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and one franchise legend was incredibly disappointed with the performance.
After jumping out to an early lead in the first quarter, the Lakers were dominated by the Timberwolves on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. Minnesota led by as many as 27 points en route to a 117-95 victory.
After the game, Magic Johnson took to social media to rip his former team. He said the Lakers played with no sense of urgency and had their worst performance of the season.
“Tonight was one of the Lakers worst performances this season. They were flat, had no energy, and they played like it was a regular season game,” Johnson wrote on X. “Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1. The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments.”
Johnson also said the Timberwolves were “more physical, more athletic, faster, and came up with every loose ball.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the Lakers in every category winning 117-95 tonight. They were more physical, more athletic, faster, and came up with every loose ball. Edwards was good scoring 22 points, but it was Jaden McDaniels’s offense and defense that made the…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 20, 2025
Tonight was one of the Lakers worst performances this season. They were flat, had no energy, and they played like it was a regular season game.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 20, 2025
Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1. The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 20, 2025
Johnson said before the series that he was nervous for the Lakers because Anthony Edwards presents such a matchup problem. Edwards finished with 22 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels had a team-high 25 points and 9 rebounds as Minnesota relied on their size to dominate the Lakers for much of the game.
JJ Redick made a big admission after his team’s loss that should concern Lakers fans. L.A.’s lack of size hurt them in the game, as they used Dorian Finney-Smith as their primary center. Jaxson Hayes got just eight minutes, but he may be relied on more going forward if the Lakers can’t find a way to match Minnesota’s physicality.
