The Los Angeles Lakers will be taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves to open the playoffs, with Game 1 taking place at home. Los Angeles comes into this series as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and they are looking to make noise this year.
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Heading into Game 1, the Lakers have listed star forward LeBron James on the injury report. James comes in as probable for the game, likely giving him the green light to play.
Forward MaxiM Kleber is also on the injury report for this game, but he has been ruled out.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 18, 2025
James has been a mainstay on injury reports this season, but the star forward has been mostly available this year. Other than a few week period, James has managed to take care of his body well in his 22nd season within the NBA.
Having James on the floor completely changes everything for the Lakers as this series gets started. James gives Los Angeles another star player to throw at the Timberwolves, putting more pressure on the Minnesota defense.
The Lakers lack size across the roster, and they will be undermanned going up against the size of the Timberwolves. But James can help them navigate this, as he can defend multiple positions when on the court.
Minnesota will likely try to take advantage of this, and the Lakers will have to do the best they can against it all. Los Angeles doesn’t have a true center to throw out against the Timberwolves, making life tough on the Lakers’ defense.
But even with the size disadvantage, the Lakers are still being favored to win the series. Los Angeles has the star power to go after the Timberwolves, and fans should be in for an entertaining matchup.
This Lakers team has confidence in themselves, and they will make life tough on the Timberwolves all game long. If James can perform well, Los Angeles should be able to get past Minnesota to move on to the second round of the playoffs.
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