The Los Angeles Lakers started the 2024-2025 season this Tuesday with full of smiles: a solid victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-103, the first victory for JJ Redick as coach and the historic achievement of LeBron James and Bronny as the first father duo -son in the NBA.
Aged 39 and 20, respectively, LeBron (starter) and Bronny (substitute) starred in a memorable image when they entered the court together with four minutes remaining in the second quarter. They shared the next two minutes and 41 seconds to become the first father-son duo to play together in the best basketball league on the planet.
Among the audience was his family, with Savannah James (wife and mother) in front, and also Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., father and son who achieved a similar milestone but in their case in the MLB and in 1990 with the Seattle Mariners.
LeBron, top scorer in NBA history and owner of countless records, added another to his collection tonight as he began his 22nd season in the league, something that until now only Vince Carter had achieved.
They shared two minutes and 41 seconds on the track
Aside from James and Redick, the big star of the night was Anthony Davis, superb in attack and defense and who finished with 36 points (11 of 23 shooting), 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Rui Hachimura also shined for the Lakers with 18 points and 5 rebounds while LeBron contributed 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. In Minnesota, Anthony Edwards was the lighthouse with 27 points (10 of 25), 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
Read also
The Lakers massacred the Wolves in the paint (72 for 40 points) but were a disaster from the three-point range (5 of 30, 16.7%). However, the Californians benefited from 16 turnovers by their rivals.
Already without the Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns, these Wolves who have definitively handed the keys to the franchise to Edwards took to the court with Julius Randle as a starter and Donte DiVincenzo as a substitute. For the Lakers, with hardly any changes this summer to compete in an increasingly demanding West, Redick initially opted for his most offensive quintet: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Hachimura, LeBron and Davis.
Hachimura started with great enthusiasm, LeBron showed off his power in several plays inappropriate for someone who will turn 40 in December, and Davis very quickly planted his flag in the area.
The Wolves offense was not exactly a prodigy of fluidity with 6 turnovers in the first quarter alone. But between Edwards’ 8 points and the fact that the Lakers did not adjust their focus (8 of 26 in shots and 2 of 11 in triples), those from Minnesota closed the first chapter ahead (22-23).
Anthony Davis crashed the family party with 36 points and 16 rebounds
Chris Finch’s team, finalists last year in the West, stood out last year for being a very physical, rocky and overwhelming team. None of that was evident in the second quarter, where the Wolves were completely overwhelmed by the Lakers, who were much more engaged in the fight for rebounds and who took great advantage of the visitors’ 11 turnovers at halftime. Thus, the Lakers reached a +19 after a fantastic stretch of seven and a half minutes in which they erased Minnesota from the court with a run of 29-9.
In addition to the historic moment of LeBron and Bronny – prior hazing of the father filling his son’s car with cereal before going to the Crypto.com Arena -, local fans enjoyed in that period the rookie Dalton Knecht, a shooting specialist, who He made his first two shots and is positioned as a fundamental piece of the Lakers’ second unit.
The defense also performed at a good level and Redick’s team went to the locker room with a 55-42 lead and the game under control despite their lack of success from three-point range (3 of 19). Davis (12 points) and Hachimura (11) led the Lakers and Edwards (14) was the only thing salvageable from the sad Wolves.
Davis pulled the car again when the Wolves closed the gap and won the face-to-face against Edwards
Davis definitively put the team on his back in the third quarter with 13 points, but the Lakers were unable to break the game. On the contrary, the Wolves raised their intensity a couple of points, exploited the Lakers’ persistent weakness in the triple and deployed a more choral attack (with 8 points from DiVincenzo in that period) to land in the outcome with their options intact (82 -74).
The Wolves were only 4 points behind after a 3-12 run between the end of the third chapter and the beginning of the last (85-81 with 10:38 to go). But Davis pulled the wagon again, prevailed head-to-head against Edwards and the Lakers sealed their first victory on the opening day of the NBA since 2016.
LeBron James
“I lost a lot of time with him because of this league… I’m going to make the most of it”
In a packed court – without tickets for a long time – Bronny was able to share those moments with his father before returning to the bench, a priori the place he should occupy the most time in his debut season in the NBA. After the game, both talked about that historic moment. “Family has always been above everything. I lost a lot of time (with him) because of this league… so being able to have this moment in which I continue working and I can do it alongside my son is one of the best gifts I have ever received from the man above and I am going to take advantage of it to the maximum,” LeBron explained.
Read also
#James #family #enters #NBA #history #LeBron #plays #son #Lakers #debut
