The Timberwolves had one of best shooting performances of the season Saturday. How will the Lakers react in Game 2?

The Timberwolves missed three of their first four -point attempts on Saturday in Los Angeles They also missed their final three of the night In between those stretches Minnesota was a blazing inferno hitting of attempts from beyond the arc to blitz the Lakers in Challenge I mean they had great shots honestly Lakers wing Luka Doncic noted Indeed Twenty-seven of Minnesota s -point attempts were wide open according to Second Spectrum evidence available on NBA com The Lakers don t have a wing stopper nor a rim protector around which to construct a defense So they play a condensed scheme that relies on positioning to collapse on opposing star players So every time any Wolves contestant primarily Anthony Edwards got into the teeth of the defense numerous shooters were left open around the perimeter Minnesota made itself even more arduous to guard through consistent off-ball movement where shooters relocated to open spots around the arc that created simple passes for Edwards to make We watched a lot of film Obviously one thing we needed to work on not just for this series but in general was just movement off the ball Wolves guard Mike Conley declared And Saturday we did a really good job of relocating making ourselves available for anybody who was making a drive towards the rim and drawing two people on them The Lakers do a good job of loading up and bringing multiple people to the ball So we knew we just had to keep moving We had to keep our bodies moving and make the extra play make the extra read and not turn it over As a effect we were getting good looks Twenty-seven wide open -point attempts is a big number Minnesota averaged throughout the regular season If you generate that countless high-value shots in a playoff challenge your chances of success skyrocket We know they have a lot of lasers They have a lot of guys that can shoot from the perimeter Lakers forward LeBron James announced So we ve gotta do a better job of closing the bodies getting out on shooters We ll get back in the film room Sunday look at the things that we did well a few of the things that we didn t do so well and continue to gameplan for Contest We ve got a couple days to prep for that It will be enthralling to see if the Lakers determine they can continue to play their heavy-gap help scheme moving forward it s vulnerable to creating open catch-and-shoot s for their opponent Will Los Angeles try a different approach in an effort to patch an obvious hole from Championship Or will it take its chances on Minnesota s shots not falling at the same rate on Tuesday Minnesota is a great -point shooting squad It has been all season The Timberwolves finished the regular season with the fourth-highest -point percentage on the fifth-highest volume attempts per battle Much of that success did from Edwards of whom the Lakers were aware around the perimeter Saturday But Donte DiVincenzo Nickeil Alexander-Walker Naz Reid and Mike Conley were also snipers and the Lakers were largely done in by Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle Those two combined to go for from deep on a night where Minnesota had a shooting performance to remember The Wolves hit of their wide open attempts Saturday That clip is the highest of any company in the NBA this season that attempted at least in a contest Had Minnesota hit the regular of wide open -point attempts it made throughout the season the Wolves would have scored fewer points With their season effectively on the line Tuesday will the Lakers play the percentages Related Articles Pack of rabid Timberwolves harass Lakers en passage to Challenge rout Timberwolves playoffs From contracts to reputation what s at stake things the Timberwolves must do to upset the Lakers plus a prediction Can Anthony Edwards out-think the Lakers Timberwolves playoff hopes depend on it Frederick To beat the Lakers Minnesota must conquer its Boogeyman