After being steamrolled 117-95 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers came into Tuesday’s Game 2 at Crypto.com Arena needing a statement win to avoid going down 0-2. In a gritty, defensive battle, the Lakers clawed their way to a 94-85 victory, evening the series at one game apiece.
Leading the way once again was Luka Doncic, whose sensational postseason start continues to make waves across the NBA. The Slovenian superstar poured in a game-high 31 points on 9-of-20 shooting, adding 12 rebounds, nine assists, a block, and two three-pointers in 42 minutes.
With another dynamic outing, Doncic etched his name deeper into Lakers lore, becoming just the third player in franchise history to score at least 30 points in each of his first two playoff games.
Doncic stays grounded despite historic start
Following the win, TNT’s Taylor Rooks caught up with Doncic on the court and asked him about joining such elite company so early in his Lakers playoff career. True to form, Doncic deflected attention away from his individual accolades.
“It’s fine, but it don’t matter,” Doncic said. “We gotta win no matter what. If I have 30 or if I have 10, we just gotta win. It’s not about players, it’s about team, and we just got to win.”
The 25-year-old star dropped 37 points in his Lakers postseason debut during Sunday’s blowout loss and followed that up with 31 in Game 2, nearly finishing with a triple-double. But despite the numbers and the history books, Doncic made it crystal clear that winning is the only stat that truly matters to him.
While the Lakers were far from perfect offensively in Game 2, their defensive intensity flipped the script. They held the Timberwolves to just 85 points-32 fewer than in Game 1-and managed to limit Anthony Edwards to a more pedestrian outing.
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