Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has voiced his concerns about the Minnesota Timberwolves ' main men ahead of their NBA play-in game on Tuesday.
The Lakers closed out their regular season with a 128-117 win over the Utah Jazz, finishing seventh seed with a record of 43-39. In the game, James hit a season-high eight three-pointers. They will now take on the No.8 seeded Timberwolves at the Crypto.com Arena.
And James is wary of the task ahead of the Lakers, with a playoff slot against the No.2 seed in the first round on the line. James has voiced his concerns, identifying the Timberwolves’ men to keep an eye on.
“When you got guys like Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards — those guys can both go for 40 against you,” said James. “You got a very cerebral point guard like Mike Conley Jr. that’s been in multiple playoff games … We know what we’re getting ourselves into.”
James is grateful that the Lakers hold home advantage in the play-in and don't have to travel. The four-time NBA champion says the Lakers have “travelled a lot lately”.
“We get Minnesota next, that’s all. We prep, we start playoff prep tomorrow for them and we get ready for Tuesday,” James said. “Obviously it’s different because usually in the postseason you have multiple days to prep for a team. You literally have one day to prep and a half a day on game day that you can kind of lock in on everything that needs to be done.”
James added: “For us, it’s just good that we don’t have to travel. We’ve travelled a lot lately. So, it’s good that we get to stay here, but that doesn’t make us... We shouldn’t be comfortable. We gotta stay on edge and get ready for the game.”
Coach Darvin Ham has revealed how his Lakers team will prepare for Minnesota. "Be efficient with how we spend our non-game days. Make sure they're getting the proper treatment between now and Tuesday," Ham said. "But they're aware, man. These stakes are high and a lot of times, I don't want to call it pressure, but the challenges of guys knowing what's at stake can weigh on them a little bit. But here we are, we know what's in front of us."
The Lakers finished the season by winning nine of its final 11 games, including a 123-111 win in Minnesota on March 31. The Timberwolves won the regular season series 2-1, however.
