Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić is looking forward to one particular matchup in their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which begins on Saturday, April 19.
Facing French center Rudy Gobert.
“Since I came to the league, I like to play pick-and-roll,” Doncic said on Thursday, per ESPN. “I like to get a center on me.”
Dončić’s most iconic shot to date was his game-winning 3-point shot against the Timberwolves’ star center in last year’s Western Conference Finals.
The Slovenian star revealed that it was his favorite clip in the Mavericks tribute video when he returned to Dallas earlier this month for the first time since his shocking trade to the Lakers.
“I’d probably say the shot in the Conference Finals,” Dončić told reporters at the time. “We were probably the underdog… We came together and played together; it was just another level.”
“All of it for sure… I’d probably say the shot in the Conference Finals. We were probably the underdog… We came together and played together; it was just another level.”
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In that game, Dončić punished Gobert and the Timberwolves with a game-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. He averaged 34.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists in that series.
Lakers rookie coach JJ Redick is just glad Dončić is on his Lakers team this time.
“He thinks that there’s not a person in the world who can guard him,” Redick said, per ESPN. “So I think he takes that seriously, that matchup in particular.”
The Lakers split their four meetings with the Timberwolves 2-2. But the Lakers won their last matchup 111-102 on Feb. 27 in a game where Dončić finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
Anthony Edwards Looks Forward to LeBron James Matchup
If the Gobert matchup is the one Dončić is looking forward to the most, his Minnesota counterpart, Anthony Edwards, relishes the opportunity to face LeBron James in the playoffs.
“It means a lot to match up against him, man,” Edwards said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “Probably goes down as the greatest player to ever play basketball. Trying to get putting him out of the playoffs under my belt is going to be a tough one, but it’s going to be a fun road.”
Last season, Edwards sent future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant home in the first round of the playoffs with an emphatic sweep.
It will be a tougher matchup for Edwards than Durant and the Phoenix Suns last year, as James and the Lakers have been playing an elite defense in the second half of the season.
New Characters Spice up Playoff Matchup
And the 40-year-old James will not have the solo burden to carry the Lakers as he has Dončić on his side.
“I like big games,” Dončić said, per ESPN. “Playoffs is a fun time. Everybody plays 100%. It’s just fun to be out there.”
But the Timberwolves aren’t a pushover either. Since their offseason trade acquisitions Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo returned from their injuries, the Timberwolves built good chemistry heading into the postseason.
They went 17-4 in their last 21 games to punch the sixth seed to earn the right to face the Lakers.
“Obviously, they added two guys that can really play and they have Ant,” Dončić said, per ESPN. “They have a lot of guys that can play, a lot of guys that can guard. So they’re very, very interesting.”
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