Translator's Note: The original article was published in The Athletic. The data in the article are as of the time of the original publication (October 25th, local time). The dates and times involved are all local time.

Last season, the Timberwolves relied on excellent defensive performance to reach the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive season. Their defensive efficiency value was 110.8, ranking sixth in the league. But that's not as ferocious as the 2023-24 season, when the Timberwolves were far ahead in defensive efficiency, ranked first in the league, and eliminated the defending champion Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.

The Timberwolves enter this season with a clear goal, which is to regain their advantage on the defensive end. However, after two games, the Timberwolves' defense only played well in one game, which was the last quarter against the Trail Blazers. Luka Doncic and the Lakers absolutely tore apart the Timberwolves on Friday night in a performance that was reminiscent of Doncic's destruction of the Timberwolves in Game 5 of the 2024 Western Conference Finals.

Doncic scored 49 points on 14-of-23 shooting, and he was laughing, dancing, and trash-talking the Timberwolves the entire time he led his team to a 128-110 victory. The Lakers shot 59% from the field and got 32 free throw opportunities against the slow-footed Timberwolves, which made the Timberwolves lose face.

"It's a shame," Donte DiVincenzo said. "I think everyone here knows that. Our standards are higher than that. But this is only the second game, and we will definitely be ready on Sunday."

Anthony Edwards had a great offensive night, scoring 31 points on 11-for-19 shooting, and Julius Randle also performed very well, contributing 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. When these two stars are playing like this on offense, the Timberwolves should never be completely out of contention like they were for nearly the entire second half.

The Timberwolves were once behind by as many as 25 points during the game, and spent most of the time chasing the Lakers helplessly, completely unable to control the situation on the court. The Lakers sent out 26 assists, many of which benefited from open layups and dunk opportunities caused by Timberwolves defensive players being thrown out of position due to excessive defense, or lack of concentration.

Jaden McDaniels was helpless against Doncic on the defensive end. Rudy Gobert had no presence at all (2 points on 1-for-2 shooting, 7 rebounds, 0 blocks). This was the first time he returned to this arena to participate in a game since he scored 27 points and 24 rebounds to eliminate the Lakers in the playoffs last season. Edwards was equally unresisting on defense and declined to comment after the game.

"I can feel that sometimes we are not in the state mentally," Gobert said. "Everyone is stuck in their own thoughts and a little frustrated. If we want to be a championship team, we can't be like this. We have to be more resilient and mentally stronger, and we will do it."

Considering that the Timberwolves allowed the Trail Blazers to score 95 points in the first three quarters in the opener, this loss is even more disappointing. The Timberwolves went all out in the fourth quarter, limiting the Trail Blazers to 19 points and shooting just 21% from the field. But the Trail Blazers are a young team, and it's expected to collapse under pressure.

The Lakers have many limitations, especially without LeBron James playing at the beginning of the season. But they are a veteran team with talented scorers and left nothing to chance for the Timberwolves. After being eliminated by the Timberwolves 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs last season, they are also playing with a revenge mentality. The physicality and tenacity the Timberwolves displayed in that series were gone on Friday night and were noticeably missing through much of the first two games of the season.

"The defense obviously did not reach the level it should have," coach Chris Finch said. "There was not enough pressure on the ball holder. There was no aggressiveness at all. The enthusiasm for rotating defense was also completely insufficient."

Doncic and the Lakers stifled the Timberwolves in the first half, shooting 60% from the field and having an offensive efficiency of 144.7. Doncic had the Timberwolves at his mercy, asking for everything on the court and tormenting McDaniels with shot fakes and wrist tricks.

As the first half progressed, McDaniels became increasingly frustrated, and Doncic took advantage of that. He used a shot fake to shake McDaniels up, then drew a three-point foul, and scored 32 points on 9-for-14 shooting in the first half.

"Luka hit some tough shots," McDaniels said. "That's what happens when you play against a guy like that. You just can't let other people affect the game. We have to treat the game like a playoff game."

The Timberwolves are no stranger to Luka's fiery touch. They're not the first team to suffer from his uncanny shooting ability. The key to this game getting out of hand was that the Timberwolves couldn't stop the rest of the Lakers. Austin Reeves scored 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting. Hachimura scored 23 points on 10 of 13 shots.

Part of the reason is the Lakers' excellent shooting performance. In the long NBA season, there are always nights like this. But this lack of intensity was disappointing on national television against a spotlight team.

"Honestly, it's just a matter of effort," DiVincenzo said. "As a collective, we knew we weren't putting in the effort. A team that we eliminated from the playoffs is going to come into the game with a greater desire. They want to rip your head off. I don't think we could keep up with our opponent tonight in terms of effort."

The Timberwolves had a glimmer of hope in the third quarter when Doncic was benched for the final four minutes with four fouls.. The Lakers led by 9 points at the time, but facing this lineup without Luka, the Timberwolves were still unable to do anything on the defensive end and fell behind by 14 points entering the fourth quarter.

Over the past two years, in games that lacked energy and effort, Nikeil Alexander-Walker was often the player to come off the bench and light up the team. But now Walker has gone to the Hawks, and his departure was highlighted by the extreme struggles of point guard Mike Conley, who picked up four fouls in nine minutes, went 0 for 3 from the field and committed two turnovers. Finch has been reluctant to use second-year guard Rob Dillingham due to defensive concerns, instead opting for Nashawn Hyland.

Dillingham finally came on the court in the middle of the fourth quarter, but he only played for 59 seconds before he was hit in the face by an elbow, causing a broken nose and blood staining the field.

In Sunday's home opener, this weak defense will face another test, when the Pacers are bound to attack the Timberwolves in transition offense, and their half-court offense will be more ruthless than the Lakers showed.

"We have to get back to a state of full defense." Finch said.

Author: Jon Krawczynski

Translator: GWayNe