The Lakers ushered in the first round G3 battle with the Timberwolves in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the fierce confrontation of G2, the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves by 9 points and successfully tied the series score to 1-1. This game can be called a defensive battle. Both sides showed a high-intensity defensive situation. In the end, neither team scored more than 100 points. The Lakers' defense in this campaign was as solid as a rock. The zone defense strategy made Edwards fall into a slump, and the Timberwolves only scored 85 points. On the offensive end, the Lakers still mainly rely on Doncic's mismatch singles ability to name Gobert. Doncic continued the high efficiency of G1, scoring 31 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. The quasi-triple-double data fully controlled the Lakers' offensive situation; James also contributed 21 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, showing his all-round skills. In addition, Reeves and Hachimura also made some achievements on the offensive end, contributing to the team's victory. However, the performance of the Lakers' bench was not satisfactory. Finney-Smith and Vincent should have been the main scoring points on the bench, but in the two games of the series, they only contributed a total of 19 points, which is obviously unsatisfactory.
In the first quarter, both sides were ready to fight, and a fierce offensive battle started at the beginning. In the first 6 rounds, both teams successfully converted the ball into points, and the score was close. However, after the timeout, the Timberwolves quickly seized the initiative and played an 11-0 offensive climax, taking the lead in one fell swoop, and have maintained the advantage on the court since then. Although the Lakers tried hard to catch up, they still failed to turn the situation around, but their performance was not inferior. At the beginning of the second quarter, the Lakers suddenly exerted their strength and sent a 9-0 offensive, successfully opening the situation. Immediately afterwards, James felt hot, hit three-pointers in a row, and scored 8 points alone, helping the team to overtake. Throughout the first half, James was in great form, shooting 9 of 12, scoring 22 points efficiently and grabbing 6 rebounds. With this wave of offensive, the Lakers have been firmly holding on to their advantage after overtaking, and entered the second half with a 4-point lead.
After returning from the break in the second half, Edwards took the lead and hit three-pointers in a row, leading the Timberwolves to counterattack. Subsequently, Randle and Conley also hit three-pointers in succession, and the Timberwolves successfully overtook. But the Lakers did not panic. Led by James, they kept the score close and left the suspense of the game to the end. At the decisive moment, Edwards stepped forward and became the key man for the Timberwolves. His performance in the final stage was directly related to the Timberwolves' 13 points. Not only did he score the key 7 points alone, but he also assisted Reed and McDaniels to hit three-pointers, directly killing the game. In the end, the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers at home, won this key battle, and took the lead with a total score of 2-1.