The Los Angeles Lakers were beaten up by the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-95 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday, and they were outclassed in several phases of the game. There was plenty of pressure on them to win Game 2 and tie the series rather than take a 0-2 series deficit into Minneapolis for the following two contests.
The Lakers definitely responded the way one would've hoped. They got out to an early lead and were up 58-43 at halftime. They increased their lead in the third quarter, and while Minnesota tried to claw back and make things competitive in the closing minutes, they made enough plays on both ends of the floor to end up with a 94-85 victory.