By Yusuf Kose

Wed, April 23, 2025

LOS ANGELES — After getting punched in the mouth in Game 1, the Lakers came back with urgency — and their new coach wasn’t about to let them slip again.

With the Timberwolves cutting a 22-point lead in half midway through the third, JJ Redick stormed onto the court to call timeout, visibly furious. “What are you guys doing?!” he shouted, loud enough for TNT mics to pick it up. Message received.

The Lakers responded with a 9-0 run right out of the huddle and held on to take Game 2, 94–85, tying the series 1–1.

“That's JJ,” LeBron said after the game. “We needed the message — however it came. And we responded.”

It wasn’t pretty. The Lakers shot just 5-for-19 in the fourth quarter and committed six turnovers, but their defensive intensity and rebounding effort flipped the script from Game 1. After being outscored 25–6 in transition and giving up 21 threes in the opener, they locked in — holding the Wolves to 5-of-25 from deep and taking the rebounding edge 41–34.

LeBron finished with 21-11-7, Austin Reaves added 16 points and Rui Hachimura, despite taking a shot to the face that had him fitted for a mask, added 11 points and key stops on defense. “He played like a warrior,” Redick said. “He was everywhere.”

Luka Doncic led the way with 31 points and 9 assists, following up his 37-point effort in Game 1, but this time L.A. made him work for everything.It was a tough, grinding win — what Rob Pelinka called “a rock fight.” But the Lakers didn’t back down. They set the tone physically, matched Minnesota’s size, and showed they’re not folding anytime soon.

Game 3 heads to Minnesota on Friday, where the crowd will be loud, and the pressure even louder. But as Doncic put it, “We can’t panic. We just have to stay together — and that’s on me and Bron.”