The NBA playoffs continued Tuesday with high-stakes action across the league. The Los Angeles Lakers evened their series with the Timberwolves, while the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder both secured 2-0 leads in dominant fashion.
Lakers 94, Timberwolves 85 — Series Tied 1-1
After a rough Game 1 loss, the Los Angeles Lakers stormed back with a 94-85 win at Crypto.com Arena to level their first-round series.
Luka Doncic, in his first playoff run with L.A., was electric—scoring 16 of his 31 points in the opening quarter. He added 12 rebounds and 9 assists in a near triple-double performance. LeBron James contributed 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists as the Lakers built a 22-point first-half lead and held on despite a shaky fourth quarter.
The Timberwolves struggled offensively, hitting just 5-of-25 from three and finishing with a season-low 85 points. Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points, while Anthony Edwards added 25 in a physical game that featured 46 combined fouls.
Game 3 shifts to Minneapolis on Friday.
Thunder 118, Grizzlies 99 — Oklahoma City Leads 2-0
Oklahoma City followed up their historic 51-point Game 1 win with another convincing performance, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 118-99.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 27 points, while Jalen Williams added 24. Rookie center Chet Holmgren was everywhere, putting up 20 points, 11 boards, and 5 blocks. OKC dominated early with a 9-0 run and never looked back, leading by as many as 23.
The Grizzlies showed fight in the third quarter behind Jaren Jackson Jr. (26 points) and Ja Morant (23), but couldn’t close the gap in the fourth.
Game 3 is set for Thursday in Memphis.
Pacers 123, Bucks 115 — Indiana Up 2-0
In the East, the Indiana Pacers held off a late rally from the Milwaukee Bucks to win 123-115 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in their series.
Pascal Siakam posted 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton dished out 12 assists to go along with his 21 points. The Pacers never trailed, but saw their 15-point fourth-quarter lead trimmed to two after a furious 13-0 Bucks run.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had a monster night with 34 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists. Damian Lillard, returning after five weeks away due to a calf issue, chipped in 14 points and 7 assists in his playoff debut with the Bucks.
The game turned testy with multiple technical fouls, including one on Bobby Portis, who also delivered 28 points off the bench.
Game 3 heads to Milwaukee on Friday.
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