After a long offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to their home floor at Crypto.com Arena to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Opening Night of the 2024-25 season.
Going up against one of the best teams in the Western Conference, Los Angeles made a statement with a 110-103 win over Minnesota to start the new season off right, giving them their first Opening Night win since 2016.
Rui Hachimura got the scoring started for the Lakers as he drained a 3-pointer and then threw down a poster dunk on Rudy Gobert. LeBron James got in on the action with his first basket coming on a layup and later running the floor in transition for a dunk that got the crowd buzzing.
When James subbed out of the game, Anthony Davis became the focal point of the offense and did a good job seeking his own shot or moving the ball. However, Los Angeles’ offense went cold to close the quarter and thus they went into the second quarter trailing 23-22.
The Lakers were able to retake the lead by attacking the painted area, with Jaxson Hayes throwing down an emphatic dunk over the Timberwolves defense. Dalton Knecht made his NBA debut and promptly scored his first basket from distance and followed it up with a layup to give L.A. a 41-29 lead.
The purple and gold poured it on, crashing the glass for second-chance points and shutting down Minnesota on the other end to keep the momentum. History was made with four minutes left in the quarter when Bronny James and LeBron entered the game, officially becoming the first father-son duo to play together on the same team.
Despite a small run from the Timberwolves, the Lakers went into halftime leading 55-42.
James and Davis connected on a lob to begin the third and Hachimura got loose on the baseline for another dunk over a defender. Davis got the crowd going after blocking Rudy Gobert at the rim, keeping the Laker lead at 14.
The Timberwolves started to battle back on both ends of the floor and trimmed the deficit down to nine before Davis hit a much-needed jumper. However, Julius Randle was able spark another Minnesota run and Los Angeles went into the fourth up 82-74.
Naz Reid hurt the Lakers at the top of the fourth with free throws and a corner three, forcing a timeout from head coach JJ Redick. D’Angelo Russell sparked a response from the Lakers with a basket in the lane and a couple of assists to James and Hayes that upped their lead back to 10.
Anthony Edwards and Davis dueled it out offensively through the fourth, taking turns scoring each time down the floor. However, it was Davis that closed out the game and gave Los Angeles their first win of the season.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers will return to the court on Friday when they host the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena.
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