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Lakers coach JJ Redick instructs players from the sideline during the second half Friday.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
After lamenting continued third-quarter woes in Tuesday’s season-opening loss, the Lakers responded by winning the third frame 40-31 against the Timberwolves. They fired the opening salvo, starting the third quarter on an 8-5 run punctuated by a Hachimura dunk that forced Minnesota to call a timeout.
Redick breathed a sigh of relief.
“I think for the first time in Lakers history, the other team called the first timeout in the third quarter,” Redick said sarcastically. “Had a nice ‘all right,’ ‘all right’ with the group. ‘All right, group. We did it.’ Maybe that’s the blueprint, just the coaches, just changing the routine [a] bit.”
Guard Austin Reaves, who finished with 25 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and just one turnover, said the halftime talk consisted only of a few slides explaining plays the team executed well and a few that needed to get cleaned up.
The Lakers turned the ball over on an offensive foul on their first possession, but Doncic settled the team down with a floater in the paint on the next possesion.
Doncic had his quietest scoring quarter in the third with only six points, but he dished four assists as Reaves and Hachimura exploded for 11 and 12 points, respectively. They helped the Lakers grow a five-point halftime lead into a comfortable 14-point advantage even as Doncic sat the final four minutes of the quarter.
But the Slovenian star remained engaged, even with a wrap around his midsection. On the Lakers’ final defensive possession, he stood up and waved his arms to the crowd as the rest of his Lakers teammates joined him on their feet. When Jarred Vanderbilt’s emphatic block on a Julius Randle shot ended the quarter, Doncic was the first Lakers player to sprint off the bench and greet his teammates coming off the court.