Minnesota Timberwolves Vs. Los Angeles Lakers Playoff History

For the first time since 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers earned a top-six seed in the Western Conference and did not have to earn their way through the Play-In Tournament. They finished as the No. 3 seed, and waited until the final moments of the regular season to learn that they would be facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

The Timberwolves present an intriguing matchup for the Lakers. They were statistically one of the best teams in the league this season, and have strengths across the board. Both teams, on some level, can point to the matchup and be happy with their draw.

The Lakers and Timberwolves do not have a major history of meeting in the postseason, having only faced off three times in a playoff setting. But the Lakers have dominated the matchup when it has happened.

Here’s a look back at each of the times the Lakers and Timberwolves have met in the Western Conference postseason.

2023 Play-In Tournament

It’s been two years since the most recent matchup, when LeBron James and the Lakers faced Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves in the 7/8 game of the Play-In Tournament. The winner would earn the No. 7 seed and a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

That game had many of the same players that this series will have, including LeBron, Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

The Lakers rallied in that game by holding the Timberwolves to just 12 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime, winning the OT period 10-4 and securing the No. 7 seed.

The Lakers held Edwards to nine points on 3-for-17 from the field while James had a game-high 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists on 12-of-21 shooting.

2004 Western Conference Finals

We go back 20 years to find the last time L.A. and Minnesota played in a full-blown series, and that was to earn a trip to the NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons.

This team was the last gasp of the Shaquille O’Neal era in Los Angeles, led by Shaq, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone. While on the older side, this team still competed for a championship on pure talent. They held the Kevin Garnett-led Timberwolves to 90 or fewer points in five of the six games in this series.

L.A. won Game 1 in Minneapolis, took both Games 3 and 4 at home and closed the series out in Game 6 in L.A. In the series-clinching win, Bryant and O’Neal combined for 45 of the Lakers’ 96 points.

2003 Western Conference First Round

The 2004 conference finals was a rematch of the first round from the year prior. The Lakers were attempting to go for their fourth consecutive championship, but were no longer considered the runaway favorites. The rivalry between Kobe and Shaq had only grown while the collective fatigue started to show.

That was evident when the Lakers lost two of the first three games in this series. Garnett had posted an electrifying 33 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks to take a 2-1 series lead.

But the Lakers weren’t done just yet. They rattled off three consecutive wins — all by double digits — to secure the win and move to the second round, where they would ultimately lose to the San Antonio Spurs.

Kobe and Shaq combined for 55 points in Game 6 to secure the win.