The No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers will face the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Los Angeles was left waiting until the final moment, as the West standings needed the last second of the regular season to be officially sorted.
This series presents a fascinating matchup of two teams quite different from last season. The Timberwolves effectively swapped Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle while the Lakers have moved on from Anthony Davis in favor of Luka Doncic.
Minnesota will be hoping to return to the Western Conference Finals after getting there last year. The Lakers will be dreaming of a championship with their new-look team. This is a first-round battle in name only and has all the making of a conference finals-level battle.
Here’s everything you need to know so you don’t miss any of the action:
How To Watch Lakers Vs. Timberwolves
- Game 1: Saturday, April 19 @ 8:30 p.m. EST. Watch on ABC.
- Game 2: Tuesday, April 22 @ 10:00 p.m. EST. Watch on TNT.
- Game 3: Friday, April 25 @ 9:30 p.m. EST. Watch on ESPN.
- Game 4: Sunday, April 27 @ 3:30 p.m. EST. Watch on ABC.
- Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, April 30. Time and TV Network TBD.
- Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, May 2. Time and TV Network TBD.
- Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, May 4. Time and TV Network TBD.
Series Format/Bracket
Each series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format. This means the team with home-court advantage hosts the first two games, along with Game 5 and Game 7 (if necessary). The weaker seed will host Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary).
The winner of Lakers-Timberwolves will face the winner of the No. 2 Houston Rockets and No. 7 Golden State Warriors.
Lakers Vs. Timberwolves Season Series
The season series was squared two games apiece, though the Lakers did take the one game featuring Doncic.
- Oct. 22: Lakers win, 110-103, in Los Angeles.
- Dec. 2: Wolves win, 109-80, in Minnesota.
- Dec. 13: Wolves win, 97-87, in Minnesota.
- Feb. 27: Lakers win, 111-102, in Los Angeles.
