Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for a high-stakes NBA playoff run, with their first-round matchup set against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After a strong finish to the season and the headline-grabbing acquisition of Luka Doncic, the Lakers have their eyes on a championship. Speaking after a recent practice session, LeBron James addressed the team’s playoff readiness—and the pivotal role Doncic will play.
“The playoffs are a different beast,” James said during post-practice media availability. When asked about how the team plans to integrate Doncic into the postseason game plan, James kept it simple. “Offensively, give Luka the ball,” he said. “And if we stay ready, we never got to get ready.”
The Lakers finished the regular season with a 50–32 NBA record, locking in the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. It marks the first time since the introduction of the play-in tournament that L.A. has clinched a playoff berth outright—without needing to fight their way in.
LeBron on team preparation
While acknowledging the excitement surrounding the playoffs and the team’s recent momentum, James emphasized that health and focus are the true keys to a deep postseason run.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Alex Caruso #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder
“You want to be healthy going into a postseason run—that’s most important,” James said. “And then you want to be playing at a high level, especially in those must-win games down the stretch. We’ve had that intensity lately.”
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“But at the end of the day,” he continued, “the game is won between the four lines. I don’t give a damn how much you know about a team or how much they know about you. It’s not about all the talk. Once the ball tips, it’s about execution. You follow the game plan, they try to disrupt it, we try to disrupt theirs. That’s what playoff basketball is.”
What’s next for the Lakers?
The Lakers and Timberwolves split their four-game regular-season series 2–2, setting the stage for what should be a competitive first-round showdown. The two teams last met in the 2023 Play-In Tournament, where the Lakers secured the No. 7 seed. Their last official playoff series was all the way back in the 2004 Western Conference Finals. Now, with LeBron, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic leading the charge, the Lakers look to make a statement—and chase banner No. 18.
