Magic Johnson reacts to LA Lakers loss to Minnesota Timberwolves, calls out key man who ‘didn’t do a good job’

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Magic Johnson reacts to LA Lakers loss to Minnesota Timberwolves, calls out key man who ‘didn’t do a good job’

The LA Lakers opened up their playoff series with a home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the LA Lakers in Game 1 of their playoff series, winning 117-95.

The Lakers’ loss saw the Timberwolves outplay them at both ends of the court, laying down the gauntlet for the rest of the series.

Luka Doncic was excellent with 37 points on his playoff debut for the Lakers, but neither LeBron James (19 points) or Austin Reaves (17) were able to get going.

Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images

LA Lakers legend and former team executive Magic Johnson gave his verdict on the Lakers loss, and called out the head coach.

JJ Redick was coaching his first playoff game, and Johnson believes he coached poorly, failing to make the necessary changes when the game was going against them.

Johnson wrote on X: “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.”

He added: “Tonight was one of the Lakers worst performances this season. They were flat, had no energy, and they played like it was a regular season game.”

Magic Johnson also made sure to give credit to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and picked out two players who impressed him, Naz Reid and former Laker Julius Randle.

He said: “The guy who always plays well against the Lakers, Naz Reid, had 23 points off the bench tonight. Julius Randle added 15 points and did a great job defensively against LeBron.”

Speaking after the game Naz Reid credited Anthony Edwards for the win, praising his leadership.

There was a surprised reaction from fans to the result, with some expecting the Lakers to come out strong in Game 2 of the series.

The pressure is on JJ Redick to turn the Lakers fortunes around, especially after Magic Johnson shone the spotlight on him.

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