After losing to the Golden State Warriors by 10 points on Tuesday to begin their 2025-26 NBA regular-season schedule, the Los Angeles Lakers faced another stiff challenge in the form of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. It was a rematch of the first round of last season’s playoffs, when Minnesota knocked out the Lakers in five games.
Early on, it was an old-fashioned Wild West shootout. The Lakers fell behind by 11 points midway through the first quarter, but they were just as hot offensively as Minnesota was, and once they clawed their way back into the contest, they never looked back.
Los Angeles finally took the lead late in the second quarter and was up 68-63 at halftime, and it never looked back. It gave up plenty of offensive rebounds in the first half, but it cleaned things up in that category, and by the end of the third quarter, it was running away with the game. The Lakers got their first victory of the new season by a final score of 128-110.
They shot a sterling 59.2% from the field, while the Timberwolves cooled off after halftime and finished at 46.6% from the floor. Outside shooting was a big problem for L.A. on Tuesday, but it wasn’t an issue on Friday — it made 41.4% of its 3-point attempts, and it only committed 12 turnovers after having 15 in the first half against Golden State.
Third quarters have been a problem for the team dating back to last season. But while it was outscored by 10 in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game, it was a plus-nine in that period on Friday.
Gabe Vincent: C-plus
Vincent went 2-of-5 from the field and had some trouble guarding Anthony Edwards, who scored 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting overall. But he dished off five assists against zero turnovers in 24 minutes.
Deandre Ayton: B
Ayton seemed practically invisible in the first half with just two points and three rebounds. But the Lakers helped activate him to start the third quarter by repeatedly involving him in their offense. He scored two quick buckets early in the period and finished with nine points in that frame, and he was a big reason L.A. was able to increase its lead.
The pick-and-roll sets the Lakers ran with Ayton looked promising in the second half, and so did Ayton’s execution of their defensive schemes after halftime. He ended up with 15 points on 7-of-11 overall shooting, eight rebounds and one block in 31 minutes.
Rui Hachimura: A
Hachimura wasn’t involved much in the Lakers’ offense on Tuesday, but he was a prime figure in their victory on Friday. He hit 10 of his 13 field-goal attempts, as well as two of his four attempts from 3-point range, to score 23 points. He did a good job of working off the dribble and using his height and size to create separation for good looks.
Austin Reaves: A
Reaves had a somewhat uneven debut on Tuesday with 26 points, nine assists and five turnovers. His performance on Friday was cleaner: 25 points on 9-of-15 overall shooting, 11 assists, seven rebounds and one turnover.
When Luka Doncic was on the bench, L.A. was able to at least tread water, and it was because of Reaves. He continues his very useful habit of stepping up his offensive game and overall effort when LeBron James is out of action.
Luka Doncic: A-plus
As great as Doncic was on Tuesday when he scored 43 points with nine assists and 12 rebounds, he did even better on Friday.
If it weren’t for him, the Lakers likely would’ve gotten blown out early in this game. He quickly went into volcano mode and unleashed a barrage in the first quarter with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and he helped them fight back from an 11-point deficit to come to within four at the end of the period. By halftime, he was up to 32 points, and he hit on 10 of 12 free throw attempts in the first half.
Doncic ended up with another monster game. He rang up 49 points on 14-of-23 from the field, 5-of-12 from beyond the arc and 16-of-19 from the free throw line. He almost evoked memories of the late great Kobe Bryant by tricking Minnesota defenders into fouling him on pump fakes while on the perimeter.
In his spare time, Doncic was able to collect eight assists and 11 rebounds. By the latter part of the fourth quarter, he was getting MVP chants from the crowd at Crypto.com Arena.
Marcus Smart: B-minus
Looking at the fact that Smart finished with just three points and one assist, one may assume he made a minimal impact. But he hustled for loose balls and gave a nice effort defensively, and he ended up a plus-24, which led the Lakers. He had two steals, and once he entered the game with 6:10 left in the first quarter, they turned things around after being down 26-17 at the time.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B-plus
Vanderbilt missed both of his shot attempts and scored only two points in 20 minutes, but his energy and effort were infectious. He grabbed seven rebounds and added two steals and two blocks, and he played a key role in L.A.’s comeback.
With backup center Jaxson Hayes ruled out for this game due to knee soreness, Vanderbilt played the 5 spot when Ayton was on the bench. Coach JJ Redick went with him and Smart in the same lineup, and it showed some potential as a lineup that could change the tenor of a game with its hustle.
Jake LaRavia: B-minus
In 28 minutes, LaRavia hit two of his three field-goal attempts and one of his two 3-point tries to score six points, and he also chipped in one assist and one steal. He is showing an ability to space the floor, and his defense wasn’t too shabby either.
Dalton Knecht, Christian Koloko, Bronny James: Incomplete
Knecht played seven minutes and missed his only shot attempt. The younger James also missed the one shot he tried, and Koloko made no statistical contributions in three minutes.
