Magic Johnson identifies fatal flaws in Luka Doncic's Lakers after Timberwolves torch them in playoff opener

The LA Lakers lost home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They couldn't keep the foot on the gas after a strong first quarter, and the Minnesota Timberwolves were in control for the final 36 minutes of Saturday night's game.

The Timberwolves won Game 1 117-95, and Magic Johnson believes Luka Doncic Lakers' lack of physicality and intensity on defense had plenty to do with that.

Following the loss, the legendary point guard criticized the team's subpar effort on defense, and he wasn't impressed with their iso-heavy offense either.

"The Lakers failed in two big categories in their loss against the Timberwolves," Johnson said. "On the defensive end - they allowed the Timberwolves to shoot over 51% from the field and they didn’t respond to the physical play of the Timberwolves.

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"Last but not least, it was too much standing around on the Lakers offense and players watching the Lakers big three, Reeves, Doncic and James, go one-on-one. We need far more productivity from the bench."

The Lakers shot 40%, including 37% from beyond the arc. However, no player besides Doncic, James and Reaves scored in double figures, with Rui Hachimura (9) leading the way for the rest of the pack.

The Timberwolves are a physical team in the paint, and their size might pose a threat to the Lakers' lack of depth at center.

Magic Johnson calls out Lakers coach JJ Redick

Magic Johnson's criticism of his former team didn't stop there. While he's been quite supportive of JJ Redick throughout the season, Johnson thinks he was over his head in his playoff debut:

"Coach JJ Redick did a great job all season but he didn’t do a good job for Game 1. The Lakers stood around on offense, played too much one-on-one basketball, and he didn’t make any necessary adjustments," Johnson added.

The Lakers need to get everybody involved on offense to regain home-court advantage and move on in this series. LeBron James scored 19 points on 18 shots, and four of their players combined to take 62 of the team's 82 field goals.

Needless to say, this series is far from over, but the Timberwolves won't just roll over and play dead. Only one game separated the No. 3 seed from the No. 6 seed, and this series was always expected to be a toss-up.

Game 2 will take place on Tuesday, and Redick will have to hit the drawing board again to make some timely adjustments.

Edited by Krutik Jain