No matter what else happens throughout the series, the lasting image from the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 1 win over the Los Angeles Lakers will be Anthony Edwards pointing his fingers at Luka Dončić like he’s wrapping him in Spider-Man’s web.
The Timberwolves didn’t fully tie Dončić up. He had 37 points in 40 minutes, shooting 12-22 from the field and 5-10 from three. However, they did enough to win 117-95. Minnesota limited LeBron James to 19 points and Austin Reaves to 16.
More importantly, they didn’t allow Dončić to carry a mental edge from the Western Conference Finals to the first round this year.
Doncic scored 15 of LA’s 28 points in the first quarter. However, the Timberwolves limited him to 22 points the rest of the game. They hounded him 94 feet, sending myriad defenders to make him work for every point, knowing they had options to guard him.
Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Donte DiVincenzo can’t shut off Dončić’s water, but they can make him parched. The Wolves need to make Dončić sweat. They have the defenders to do it, and enough to spare to contain James. They must be active, not passive.
The Wolves shouldn’t let Dončić score on them. Make him earn it.
Send in the cavalry. Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert can guard him near the basket. If McDaniels, Alexander-Walker, or DiVincenzo tire, Jaylen Clark is a viable option off the bench. He’s a dogged defender who can space the floor with his three-point shot. Clark has shown Finch he’s trustworthy, and Finch trusted him with an average of 13.1 minutes in 40 games this year.
The No. 1 Luka Rule is to think like a predator, not like prey.
Attack Dončić relentlessly. Don’t stop if he scores. Empty the bench. The national media wants the Lakers to take this series. The league probably wouldn’t mind if the Lakers and Golden State Warriors met in the second round. Minnesota needs to take it from them.
We don’t know if the Wolves will win this series, even after building a blueprint on Saturday. J.J. Redick will adjust. Dončić is nearly impossible to defend, and James will likely score more than 20 points on some nights. We’ve only seen Game 1.
The Wolves are generating open three-point looks, but they won’t shoot 70% on them all series. 50% from three isn’t a sustainable number. McDaniels won’t make 84.6% of his shots for the rest of the series. Naz Reid can be hot and cold.
Still, sound defense mitigates offensive variance. More pertinently, committing to the Luka Rules quells his mental edge. He has to deal with the defender on him for all 40 minutes. He must exert his energy on offense, opening opportunities to attack him on the other end.
The Timberwolves gnashed their teeth in Game 1. They tapped into their defensive prowess from last season. They won because they threw their best defenders at Dončić and won by a large enough margin to remove the officiating from the equation.
Much will change between Game 1 and the series’ end. However, the Wolves must maintain one constant: Throw everything they have at Dončić. The Timberwolves must tie him up as best they can.