Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson decided to publicly point out where head coach JJ Redick and his squad went wrong after an unexpected loss in Game 1 to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After finishing the season as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers were heavily favored heading into Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Timberwolves. Not only did Los Angeles have the combination of LeBron James and Luka Dončić, but the team also had home-court advantage against Minnesota.
However, the Lakers might have just thrown away that advantage with a blowout loss in Game 1. Despite being expected to defend home court, the Lakers lost 117-95 and now face an incredible amount of pressure heading into Game 2.
Magic Johnson Dives Into Lakers’ Flaws in Game 1 vs. Timberwolves
Since the Lakers were the more experienced team with greater star power and a better record, the oddsmakers certainly didn’t expect the Timberwolves to steal Game 1. Although LA started the game strong and had the lead at the end of the first quarter, the rest of the game went just as Minnesota wanted.
With a combined effort from various stars, such as Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Timberwolves took the lead in the second quarter of the game and never looked back. Reid hit multiple 3-pointers, most of which were uncontested due to miscommunication among the Lakers on defense.
Although Los Angeles’ offense was considered to have enough potential to be the best in the league, Minnesota guarded them very well. The Lakers made just 39.8% of all their field-goal attempts, while the Timberwolves made 51.2% of their shots. LA was also careless with the ball on offense and had 13 turnovers in the game.
Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1. The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 20, 2025
Johnson was clearly watching the game and likely felt frustrated after the Lakers went down 0-1 to the Timberwolves. He shared a message via X and directly called out Redick for not making the right adjustments.
“Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season, but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1. The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments.”
The Lakers legend’s comments caught the attention of the basketball world. While there is no getting around the fact that Johnson is making some valid points, it is quite easy to “backseat drive” and criticize others from a position with no pressure of any kind.
Redick and the Lakers clearly tried to make adjustments and were simply unable to keep up with the Timberwolves in Game 1. Minnesota also shot a ridiculous 50% from the 3-point line in this game, which is not expected to happen again in Game 2. In any case, questions regarding what adjustments Redick could make linger in the air.