After the Lakers got dominated at the Crypto.com Arena this past Saturday evening in Game 1 of their first-round playoff clash against the Timberwolves, many have criticized their poor exhibition. One who didn’t keep his mouth shut was none other than Magic Johnson, who called them out on social media.
The Hall of Famer ripped into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, as the purple and gold were the only squad to fall defeated in their own home this weekend. After losing by 22 points, the former NBA champion called it one of the worst games they’ve played this campaign.
“Tonight was one of the Lakers worst performances this season,” the Los Angeles legend said after they lost 117-95 to Minnesota. “They were flat, had no energy, and they played like it was a regular season game.”
“Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1,” Johnson then called out the rookie tactician. “The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments.”
Wolves star Anthony Edwards led the charge and even teased with a triple-double performance, as he scored 22 points with 9 assists and 8 rebounds, while his teammates Jaden McDaniels dropped 25 in total. “… I’m not sure physically we were ready,” JJ Redick said after the disappointing loss.
Despite Luka Doncic leading the team early on scoring 16 of his game-high 37 points in the first quarter, the Ant-Man ended up taking the prize even though he was suffering with some pains in his left calf. “Just tried to be as physical as possible,” Edwards said after the victory.
Jarred Vanderbilt, who helped the purple and gold cut the deficit from 27 to 16 in the third quarter, knows what is coming. “I think we got to be the aggressor,” he said of Game 2. “I feel like they hit us first. And they were the more physical team for the majority of the game. … It’s the playoffs, man.”
