The Los Angeles Lakers started their season with new coach JJ Redick on the right foot, claiming a decisive 110-103 victory over last season’s Conference Finalists, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Moreover, Anthony Davis put his doubters to rest with 36 points and 16 rebounds to lead the team to their first opening night win since 2016. During the game, though, Wolves star Anthony Edwards put Lakers star defender Jarred Vanderbilt in his place with a vicious message relating to his injury woes.
“You’ve been hurt for 2 years n***a,” the Ant-Man said, via a clip shared by the account NBA Central on X, formerly Twitter.
NBA opening night 2024: Lakers def. Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards put up 27 points for the Timberwolves, but he took 25 shots to get there, and that was without Jarred Vanderbilt, who the Lakers would have put on him if he was healthy.
If this game signaled anything, it might mean that Ant-Man needs reinforcements on the offensive end, especially after the Wolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Likewise, this game also showed Towns’ impact on the team.
Of course, Randle and DiVincenzo might find their groove with the team as the season progresses and shine in their roles behind Edwards and Rudy Gobert. For instance, Randle brings a tough-nosed attitude and defensive aggression that Towns may have lacked.
Still, neither of them have Towns’ ability to stretch the defense with his shooting or collapse defenders on him because of his size and finishing. This offensive flexibility while exploiting their height advantage was one of the Wolves’ major strengths last season.
Moreover, since Edwards excels at making plays for himself, he needs another star-caliber player to force the defense to play him in single coverage.
Towns also allows Mike Conley to stay on the floor for longer, since the defense has to choose between letting either KAT or Edwards cook or letting Conley shoot or make plays. Against the Lakers, he played only 20 minutes and scored only five points.
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The King makes history
On the other hand, LeBron James and son Bronny made NBA history on opening night as the first-ever father-and-son duo to play in an NBA game together.
Baseball legends Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. also attended the game to see history unfold, as the first father-and-son duo in Major League Baseball.
Likewise, Bron also joined Vince Carter as the only two players in league history to notch 22 seasons played. While King James posted a quiet statline of 16-5-5, his teammates, especially Rui Hachimura, picked up the slack with their aggressive play.
The Lakers look to build on this win against the Phoenix Suns on Friday, while the Timberwolves face DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.