And while the Lakers’ roster has turned over throughout the season, one thing that hasn’t changed is Los Angeles’ approach to guarding the Timberwolves’ best player. The Lakers consistently switch pick and rolls to take away Edwards’ space on the perimeter and commit heavy gap help to show him a crowd whenever he steps inside the arc.

The Lakers were 19-22 away from home in the regular season, the only team in the top eight of the West to have a losing record on the road. They are 6-8 on the road since Dončić joined the team, not counting a season-ending loss in Portland in which the Lakers rested players.

The Timberwolves quickly found themselves in unfamiliar territory, as the Lakers came out firing, overwhelming Minnesota with a 34-15 lead in the first quarter. Despite pushing back in the second half,