The Battle for the 7th Seed: Lakers vs Timberwolves Play-In Preview
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The battle for the 7th seed is set with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves in LA on Tuesday night. The winner of the matchup will face off against the 2nd seed Grizzlies and the loser will face off against the winner of the Thunder vs Pelicans for a chance to play the number one seed Denver Nuggets.
The Timberwolves won the regular season matchup 3-1 against the Lakers. However, the regular season doesn’t represent the current state of the Timberwolves or Lakers. Both teams made big trades, both teams had injuries in their matchup, and a playoff atmosphere will add a lot more pressure to their play-in game.
There’s a lot of unanswered questions with the Timberwolves after their game against the Pelicans. Gobert was sent home after he punched his teammate Kyle Anderson during an altercation on the bench. It’s unknown how the Timberwolves will handle this situation and if Gobert will play against the Lakers. It was also reported that Jaden McDaniels has a fractured right hand after he punched a wall in the tunnels of the arena. McDaniels will be out vs the Lakers due to his injury. McDaniels was the Timberwolves best perimeter defender and will likely make an All-Defensive team.
The Timberwolves have had a rollercoaster of a season and it continues to get worse at a critical point of the season. The Timberwolves will need Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns to come up big in order for their team to advance.
The Los Angeles Lakers will look to capitalize on the Timberwolves injuries and struggling chemistry. The Lakers have been looking very strong with one of the best records and defense in the league since the deadline. The Lakers have gotten healthy at the right time with their big three of Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell all playing great together.
They’ve also gotten help from their role players in Austin Reaves who has emerged as one of the most efficient scorers of the season. Jarred Vanderbilt and Dennis Schröder have also provided the Lakers with great perimeter defense. However, the Lakers have looked a bit underwhelming in their last three games. They haven’t been playing up to their potential and their urgency hasn't been where it needs to be. Those kinds of performances will not fly in the play-in or playoffs.
The battle for the 7th seed will be a good one. Who do you think comes out on top, the Timberwolves or the Lakers?
