MANY THINGS WENT wrong for the Los Angeles Lakers in their initial playoff game, a 117-95 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, making it difficult to pinpoint a single primary problem. The Timberwolves were highly effective from the perimeter, setting a new franchise record for three-pointers in a postseason game with 21. They significantly outperformed L.A. in fast break points, 25-6. Additionally, the Lakers` offense, which finished the regular season ranked 11th, struggled late in the game, managing only 17 points in the fourth quarter. In that game, Luka Doncic recorded just one assist, more than six below his season average, and LeBron James scored 19 points, over five below his average.
Just a few minutes into Game 2 on Tuesday, the Lakers started to make adjustments, helped by a signature play executed by their two leading stars.
The play began when Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels missed a corner three. Austin Reaves made an all-out sprint to contest the shot. Lakers forward Rui Hachimura secured the rebound and passed the ball ahead 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 accelerated into the frontcourt, with only Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley in position to defend him as he drove towards the basket.
Doncic took a single dribble and turned upcourt upon seeing James. Recognizing the opportunity, Doncic immediately launched a 50-foot outlet pass that sailed over Conley’s head, landing perfectly in James’ hands for an uncontested shot directly at the rim, which he made.
“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.”
That basket gave L.A. a 7-4 lead with 8:45 left in the first quarter and previewed the adjustments the Lakers were making. Doncic finished the game with nine assists; the Lakers reversed the fast break scoring outcome, winning that battle 13-6; and L.A. ultimately won the game 94-85, tying the series at 1-1.
As the series moves to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday, where the Wolves’ sixth-ranked defense will likely be even tougher, the connection between Luka and LeBron will serve not only as an effective tactic for the Lakers’ offense but also as an example of the strong partnership the duo has quickly formed, which they hope will lead to a deep playoff run.
“One thing about Luka,” James told ESPN, “you have to be in the right spot at the right time, or you have to make the connection, or he won’t pass you the ball like that. So, I think he trusts me.”
DONCIC AND JAMES showed their intuitive connection on fast breaks in their very first game together as Lakers, a 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz on February 10.
With the Lakers already ahead by 20 points late in the second quarter, James ran to contest a Lauri Markkanen three-pointer on the wing and continued running past the Jazz forward toward the opposite basket. After the miss, Doncic grabbed the rebound in the paint, took one dribble upcourt, and delivered a pass approximately 65 feet to find James in stride for a layup.
Following the basket, James raised his left hand and pointed towards his new teammate as he returned to defense, acknowledging the impressive play.
“I think you instantly saw the ability to play off each other in transition, especially with Luka as an outlet passer and LeBron running or getting down the court to create an early mismatch and getting that early seal,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said when asked about the early signs of their chemistry. “We saw that pretty quickly.”
Such plays, and this type of chemistry, have been a staple of the 22-year veteran’s career playbook.
“If you look at Bron’s career, whenever he had excellent passers who could make that kind of pass – Kevin Love, Dwyane Wade – it was always effective,” Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith mentioned to ESPN. “Bron is good at reading those [passes]… I think that’s definitely an advantage and gives us easy points. It’s hard to score easy points in this league.”
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent agreed, stating, “Great players need easy buckets too. Sometimes, that’s the easiest shot he’ll get all game.”
In 21 games played together before the playoffs, Doncic found James for five assists originating from passes traveling 60 feet or more, according to tracking data. This was the highest number of such long-distance assists between any two players in the league during the final two months of the regular season.
James has defied conventional NBA expectations for a player his age, but he is not approaching games in 2025 in the same way he did in his 20s. His first step off the dribble isn’t as devastating, nor can he simply leap over defenders to finish as easily as before. In the first two games against Minnesota, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert have done a reasonable job containing him in the half-court offense.
However, James’ understanding of the game remains exceptionally sharp. In 2018, he admitted to conserving energy during parts of a game by allowing a teammate to direct the offense on certain possessions, enabling him to use more energy on defense.
Playing the role of wide receiver to Doncic’s quarterback is merely his latest strategic adaptation.
When asked about the key to his chemistry with Doncic before the playoffs began, James deferred to his 26-year-old teammate.
“Offensively? Give Luka the ball. If we stay ready,” James remarked, “we never have to get ready.”
WHEN THE WOLVES prepared to face the Lakers on February 27, their first game against the team since L.A. acquired Doncic, Minnesota coach Chris Finch considered various strategies, contemplating how challenging James would remain even with the ball in his hands less often.
“If you’re over-helping in the gaps, you’re going to open huge lanes for him to drive downhill. That generally won’t end well for a defense,” Finch said before that game. “We spent a lot of our coaching staff meeting discussing LeBron playing off-ball and what that does to a defense… It’s a completely different level of threat.”
The Lakers won that game, with James scoring 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting and adding six assists. Doncic contributed 21 points on 6-of-20 shooting with five assists, while Reaves scored 23 points and had five assists.
When Minnesota secured the sixth seed and was set to play L.A. in the first round, a specific objective of the Wolves’ game plan, according to sources, was to limit James in transition. The belief was that forcing him to operate primarily in half-court sets could wear him down over the course of a prolonged series.
Through two games, this effort has been somewhat successful. That single outlet pass from Doncic accounts for James’ only two transition points in the series so far. He averaged 6.0 transition points per game during the regular season, ranking sixth in the NBA.
The Timberwolves’ strategy is reportedly similar to a mixed man-zone coverage in football. After a Minnesota shot attempt, two players are expected to retreat defensively, with one defender assigned specifically to James in a man-to-man setup. Meanwhile, Wolves players who crash the offensive glass are instructed to pressure Doncic if he gets the rebound, preventing him from having a clear space to launch long passes.
However, coach Finch can hardly relax yet. After all, the Lakers haven`t even utilized James as the quarterback throwing to Doncic as the receiver in this series.
“Passing to each other, those two guys? It sounds unbelievable to even say that,” 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.”
