The keys for the Lakers to turn around the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves

Nico Harrison has been saying it for months. He doubles and triples down on his opinion: "Defense wins championships." Even though all Mavs fans are mad at him for trading Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, he might be the one having the last laugh. In their first game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers were exposed on the defensive end. Will that trend continue? Well, in the second game, the Lakers will have to find a way to respond, or else they will prove Nico right.

In their first game against the Lakers, the Timberwolves made 21 of 42 three-pointers. Some may call it luck. Shooting 50% from beyond the arc is not a common occurrence. However, most of them were open shots. The Lakers allowed Minnesota to shoot freely and openly. And that cost them. It's worth noting that the Timberwolves were the fourth-best team in three-point percentage during the regular season. Giving them open shots is not a recipe for success in the playoffs.

Nearly three months ago, the Lakers had one of the best defenses in the league. From mid-January to mid-February, the Lakers had an incredible defense. That was when they went on a streak, despite not having Anthony Davis for most of the time. He got injured and was traded to Dallas for Luka.

But that defense relied heavily on luck and opponents missing their shots. Redick's solution to the lack of rim protection is clogging the paint and allowing open three-point shots. That strategy may work in the regular season when facing teams with fewer good three-point shooters. But in the playoffs, it's a risky strategy. The Milwaukee Bucks are the only team that has used that strategy to win a championship.

The Lakers' first priority in the series against the Timberwolves is to decide what they are willing to give up. In the playoffs, teams have to figure out a way to take away something but allow other aspects of the game. The Lakers' issue in the first game was that they tried to take everything away and ended up allowing everything.

Key Points from the First Game

The Lakers doubled Anthony Edwards and packed the paint. They wanted to take away his drives. But what Ant did was distribute it to his teammates. As a result, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid scored more than 20 points. McDaniels went 3-3 from the three-point line, Reid 6-9, and Julius Randle 4-6. Even Mike Conley made 2 out of 3. The only players who struggled with their three-point shooting in the first game were Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

One thing Lakers fans can expect is that this might have just been another scouting game for LeBron James. LeBron James is known for using the first game of a series to see what the opponents do and figure out how to attack. In fact, the NBA's leading scorer has won three championships after losing the first game of the Finals. James also has a 12-11 record in series after trailing in the first game.

The Los Angeles Lakers used their centers a total of 11 minutes in the first game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jaxson Hayes played eight minutes, and Alex Len three minutes. One thing the Lakers can try to improve their defense is going small. This allows them to play more with their best defenders, such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Jared Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura. Playing Hayes for eight minutes per game doesn't help.

The Lakers don't have much time to prove they are a serious championship threat. If they lose in the first round and struggle defensively, Nico Harrison can smile. That will make the Luka trade less painful for Mavs fans.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las claves para que los Lakers le dan la vuelta a la serie contra los Minnesota Timberwolves