Instead, it’s a first-round Western Conference playoff series involving two teams who have recent conference finals history. The Lakers lost to Denver in the 2023 conference finals, and the Timberwolves lost to Dallas in last year’s conference finals.

The Timberwolves had a lot to work on after a frustrating Game 2 in which an aggressive Lakers defense threw them for a loop. They responded with a night of 48.4% shooting (13-of-36 from deep) and only eight turnovers, compared to 16 from the Lakers.