The Los Angeles Lakers faced significant challenges in their opening playoff game, a 117-95 defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves. There wasn`t just one single issue; the team struggled across multiple areas. The Timberwolves were highly effective from the perimeter, setting a franchise postseason record with 21 three-pointers. They also dominated transition scoring, outpacing L.A. 25-6. The Lakers` offense, which finished the regular season ranked 11th, faltered late in the game, managing only 17 points in the fourth quarter. Star players also had uncharacteristically quiet nights, with Luka Doncic recording only one assist, far below his season average, and LeBron James scoring 19 points, more than five below his average.
However, just minutes into Tuesday`s Game 2, the Lakers began to correct course, partly thanks to a signature play executed by their two main stars.
The pivotal sequence started when Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels missed a corner three-pointer. Austin Reaves` full-speed contest on the shot was followed by Rui Hachimura securing the rebound. Hachimura quickly moved the ball to Doncic on the right wing. By the time Doncic received the pass in the backcourt, just beyond the three-point line, James had already sprinted ahead into the frontcourt. The only defender near James as he drove towards the basket was Wolves point guard Mike Conley.
Doncic took a single dribble, turned upcourt, and spotted James. Recognizing the opportunity, Doncic immediately unleashed a roughly 50-foot outlet pass that sailed over Conley`s head. The pass landed perfectly in James` hands, setting up a point-blank shot that he easily converted.
“It`s easy,” Doncic commented to ESPN after the game. “I know what he`s going to do. He`s going to beat his defender and I just throw it up there. It`s not hard.”
This score put the Lakers ahead 7-4 in the first quarter and previewed the adjustments that were to come. Doncic finished Game 2 with nine assists, the Lakers reversed the fast-break scoring deficit, winning that battle 13-6, and ultimately secured a 94-85 victory to tie the series 1-1.
As the series moves to Minneapolis for Game 3, where the Wolves` sixth-ranked defense is expected to be even tougher at home, the connection between Luka and LeBron won`t just be an occasional advantage; it highlights the powerful partnership they`ve quickly formed, a bond they hope will last through a deep playoff run towards a championship.
“One thing about Luka,” James told ESPN, “you got to be at the right spot at the right time or you got to make the connection, or he won`t pass you the ball like that. So, I think he trusts me.”
Doncic and James` fast-break synchronicity was apparent from their very first game together for the Lakers, a 132-113 win over the Utah Jazz in February.
Late in the second quarter of that game, with the Lakers holding a large lead, James contested a three-pointer by Lauri Markkanen and continued running past him towards the opposite basket. After the miss, Doncic secured the rebound in the paint, took one dribble, and launched a pass estimated at 65 feet to find James in perfect stride for a layup. James visibly acknowledged the assist, pointing towards Doncic as he returned on defense, recognizing the superb play.
“I think instantly you saw just the ability to feed off each other in transition, particularly with Luka as an outlet passer, LeBron running or getting down the court and creating an early cross match and getting that early seal,” Lakers coach JJ Redick noted when asked about their initial chemistry. “We saw that sort of right away.”
Plays like these, and the chemistry they require, have been a consistent part of the 22-year veteran`s game.
“If you watch Bron`s career, whenever he had great passers who can make that pass — Kevin Love, Dwyane Wade — it was always effective,” Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith explained to ESPN. “Bron does a good job of reading those… I think that`s definitely an advantage and gives us easy points. It`s hard to get easy points in the league.”
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent echoed this sentiment: “Great players got to get easy buckets too. Sometimes, that`s the easiest shot that he`s going to get.”
In the 21 games they played together before the playoffs, Doncic connected with James for five assists on passes traveling 60-plus feet, according to tracking data. This was the highest number of such long passes between any two players in the final two months of the regular season.
James continues to defy typical aging curves for NBA players, but he approaches the game differently now than in his younger years. His first step with the ball isn`t as explosive, and he can`t simply out-jump defenders to finish. In the first two games against Minnesota, players like Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert have been reasonably effective at containing him in half-court sets.
However, James` understanding and mental processing of the game remain elite. Back in 2018, he spoke about `saving pockets of energy` during games by letting teammates initiate the offense, allowing him to conserve energy for defense or strategic bursts. Playing the role of wide receiver to Doncic`s quarterback is the latest evolution in his approach.
Asked before the playoffs about the key to his chemistry with Doncic offensively, James deferred to his younger teammate: “Give Luka the ball. If we stay ready, we never got to get ready.”
When the Timberwolves prepared to play the Lakers for the first time after the acquisition of Doncic, coach Chris Finch considered the new challenges, particularly James playing more off-ball.
“If you`re overhelping in the gaps, you`re going to open massive runways for him to get downhill. That`s not going to end well for a defense, generally,” Finch said before that game. “We spent a lot of our coaches` meeting talking about LeBron off ball and what that does to a defense… It`s a whole `nother threat level.”
The Lakers won that specific game, with James scoring 33 points and adding six assists, while Doncic contributed 21 points and five assists. Austin Reaves also added 23 points.
When Minnesota secured the sixth seed and a first-round playoff matchup with L.A., a key part of their game plan, according to sources, was to limit James` effectiveness in transition. The belief was that forcing him to operate mainly in half-court offense would eventually wear him down over a long series.
Through the first two games, this strategy has been largely successful. James` only two transition points of the series came from that single outlet pass from Doncic. For context, James averaged 6.0 transition points per game during the regular season, ranking sixth in the NBA.
The Wolves` defensive strategy against this specific play is reportedly a mix of man and zone coverage, similar to football schemes. After a Minnesota shot attempt or turnover, two players are designated to retreat quickly. One defender is assigned to guard James man-to-man. Simultaneously, Timberwolves players who went for offensive rebounds are instructed to apply immediate pressure on Doncic if he gets the ball, denying him a clear opportunity to launch those deep passes.
However, coach Finch cannot entirely relax. The full range of the Doncic-James connection, including James potentially initiating plays or the roles being reversed, remains a potential threat.
“Passing to each other, them two motherf—ers? It sounds crazy to even be saying that,” Dorian Finney-Smith remarked. “Two years ago, that would have sounded fake. What am I saying — two years ago? Two months ago it would have sounded fake.”
