Luka Doncic dominated the first quarter of Game 1 Saturday night in Los Angeles.

The Slovenian superstar scored 16 points in the frame on 10 shots, and the Lakers led 28-21 after the opening frame.

And then Los Angeles bogged down.

The Lakers shot just 38% from the field in the second quarter, while turning the ball over thrice. Minnesota out-scored the Lakers 38-20 in that quarter to take a commanding lead, and never really looked back.

Doncic finished with 37 points, but the rest of his teammates combined to shoot 34% from the field in the loss.

“Sometimes the early onslaught from Luka, it’s just easy offense and he’s getting downhill. The first possession he drives on Gobert and then he’s hitting threes. That’s really good offense for us,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. “And some of the other guys may not touch the ball for stretches.”

Doncic noted postgame he was trying to “set the tone.” And sometimes it works. His 20-point first quarter against the Wolves in Game 5 of last year’s Western Conference Finals was an absolute kill shot that effectively ended the series.

But there is also risk in the strategy.

A negative side effect is no one else catches a rhythm. So when it’s time for others to make plays, they aren’t necessarily in the best frame of mind to do so.

Minnesota has struggled with that same issue in recent years. There have been some first-quarter flurries from Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and even now former-Wolf Karl-Anthony Towns that are fun in the moment. But when those individual explosions dry up over time, and if you haven’t established anything early in the game you can lean upon, it can be difficult to shift offensive gears when needed.

Minnesota, for example, is 2-6 this season in games in which Edwards takes nine-plus first quarter shots. The Wolves won 56 games last season, but again were just 5-4 in the nine games in which Edwards or Towns took nine-plus first-quarter shots.

It’s rarely an optimal approach.

Meanwhile, Edwards did take six shots in Saturday’s first frame, with minimal success. But he also had three assists in the quarter. And he took just two shots to go with two assists in the second quarter when Minnesota’s offense truly took off.

And in the second half, when everyone else around him had an established rhythm, Edwards scored 14 points. Edwards scored 22 points in Game 1 – a modest total for him – but also had nine assists and eight rebounds.

“I always say the best version of Ant is one that’s flirting with a triple double,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Got his teammates involved, I thought, with even more timely passing.”

That’s certainly not to say Minnesota doesn’t want its best player to shoot. Far from it. But in today’s NBA, with the ways defenses have evolved to make life as difficult as possible on the star players, you truly need everyone to crack the defensive codes.

The balance for every star and team to strike is to determine when it’s necessary to move the ball around and play good pace and space offense, and when you may need to rely on your star(s) to hit a tough shot.

Minnesota turned to the latter in the fourth quarter. When the Lakers were mounting a comeback charge and had pulled to within 13 points, Randle and Edwards both stemmed the tide with contested mid-range jumpers. Then Edwards hit a tough triple over Doncic’s out-stretched arms.

That the successful shotmaking stretch came after two quarters of really good team basketball seemed like no coincidence.

All season, Wolves wing Donte DiVincenzo has preached the power of having both options at the team’s disposal.

“It also builds confidence in everybody that those guys are very unselfish and when a defense throws whatever they’re throwing, they’ll find the open shooter, the open cutter and make plays for everyone else,” DiVincenzo said. “And also we rely on them when things are not in rhythm for us to go get a bucket, calm us down and be themselves.”

Mike Conley said the Wolves have “done a great job” striking the balance.

“Hats off to Ant and Julius being able to be unselfish enough to allow us for the first three, three and a half quarters to play a certain way (and) get off the ball,” Conley said. “And then they know in the fourth quarter, late in the game, it’s your show. Shoot every shot. Shoot the mid range, shoot the fadeaways. All those are shots they shoot every day. They just try not to do that too early in games and be stagnant. That has been our battle all year.”

Related Articles

Timberwolves no longer underdogs against Lakers. Is that cause for concern?

Timberwolves Playoffs: Reserves again ignite team’s best play

The Timberwolves had one of best shooting performances of the season Saturday. How will the Lakers react in Game 2?

Pack of rabid Timberwolves harass Lakers en route to Game 1 rout

Timberwolves playoffs: From contracts to reputation, what’s at stake

The Gophers football program picked up another transfer commitment from within the Big Ten Conference.

Purdue defensive tackle Mo Omonode announced his commitment to the U on Tuesday. He follows Iowa cornerback John Nester, who pledged to Minnesota over the weekend.

Omonode played in 33 total games for the Boilermakers over three seasons and appears to have one year of eligibility remaining for Minnesota.

The 6-foot, 286-pound defensive tackle posted 11 tackles and one sack across 286 defensive snaps last season. The West Lafayette, Ind., native also served as captain in three games.

Omonode had 14 tackles and two sacks in 12 games in 2023 and seven tackles in 11 games in his freshman year in 2022.

The Gophers have experienced tackles Deven Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding in the middle of their defensive front but felt the need to add veteran help going into 2025.

Related Articles

Where are Gophers projected to go in NFL draft?

Gophers football: Running back Jaydon Wright to enter transfer portal

Gophers football adds Hawkeyes cornerback via transfer portal

Gophers football seek another quarterback in transfer portal

Gophers quarterback Zach Pyron enters NCAA transfer portal

Tesla reports first-quarter financial results after the bell Tuesday with the electric vehicle maker coping with sluggish sales and fallout from its CEO’s prominent role in the Trump administration.

Related Articles

Spring allergies are back. Here’s how to check pollen levels and keep from sneezing.

Taking on the world’s toughest snowmobile race

Video shows doctor with measles treating kids. RFK Jr later praised him as an ‘extraordinary’ healer

Wisconsin governor can lock in 400-year school funding increase using a veto, court says

Other voices: The federal financial cop is off the beat

Wall Street expects Tesla to report a profit of 41 cents per share, down slightly from the year-ago quarter. Sales are estimated at $21.3 billion, on par with last year’s quarter.

Tesla is fighting an enormous public backlash due to Elon Musk’s leadership of a federal government cost-cutting group that has divided the country and sparked angry protests at Tesla dealerships nationwide. Some analysts have called for Musk to abandon his role in the Trump administration to focus on Tesla.

Shares of Tesla Inc. have tumbled more than 40% this year.

Tesla investors will be listening closely for updates on several strategic initiatives. The company is expected to roll out a cheaper version of its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y SUV later in the year. Tesla has also said it plans to start a paid driverless robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June.

The company that once dominated EVs is also facing fierce competition for the first time.

Earlier this year, Chinese EV maker BYD announced it had developed an electric battery charging system that can fully power up a vehicle within minutes. And Tesla’s European rivals have begun offering new models with advanced technology that is making them real alternatives, just as popular opinion in Europe has turned against Musk.

FILE – Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk walks to the stage to speak at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)

Investors expect Tesla will be hurt less by the Trump administration’s tariffs than most U.S. car companies because it makes most of its U.S. cars domestically. But Tesla won’t be completely unscathed. It sources some materials from abroad that will now face import taxes.

Retaliation from China will also hurt Tesla. The company was forced earlier this month to stop taking orders from mainland customers for two models, its Model S and Model X. It makes the Model Y and Model 3 for the Chinese market at its factory in Shanghai.

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rallying Tuesday after companies reported fatter profits than expected, and other U.S. investments are also steadying a day after falling sharply on worries about President Donald Trump’s trade war and his attacks on the head of the Federal Reserve.

The S&P 500 was 2% higher in morning trading and on track to recover most of Monday’s drop. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 765 points, or 2%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.2% higher.

The value of the U.S. dollar also stabilized after sliding against the euro and other competitors, while Treasury yields held steadier. Sharp, unusual moves in those markets have recently raised worries that Trump’s policies are making investors more skeptical that U.S. investments still deserve their reputations as the world’s safest.

The only prediction many Wall Street strategists are willing to make is that financial markets will continue to jerk up and down as hopes rise and fall that Trump may negotiate deals with other countries to lower his tariffs. Otherwise, many investors expect the economy to fall into a recession.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slashed its forecast for global economic growth this year to 2.8%, down from 3.3%. But Vice President JD Vance also said he made progress with India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, on trade talks Monday.

Some signs of nervousness remain in financial markets. Gold continued to rise, for example, as it holds onto its reputation as a safer investment when fear is dominating markets.

A suite of better-than-expected profit reports from big U.S. companies, meanwhile, drove U.S. stocks higher.

Equifax jumped 11.8% after reporting better profit for the first three months of 2025 than analysts expected. It also said it would send more cash to its shareholders by increasing its dividend and buying up to $3 billion of its stock over the next four years.

3M climbed 7.6% after the maker of Scotch tape and Command strips said it made more in profit from each $1 of revenue during the start of the year than it expected. The company also stood by its forecast for profit for the full year, though it said tariffs may drag down its earnings per share by up to 40 cents per share.

Homebuilder PulteGroup rose 6.2% after it likewise delivered a stronger profit for the start of 2025 than analysts expected.

Related Articles

Tesla, hammered by protests and plummeting sales, to report 1st quarter performance

US, global economic outlook worsens in the face of Trump’s tariffs, IMF says

Chipotle heads south of the border with opening of 1st location in Mexico

FTC sues Uber, alleging it signed up Uber One subscribers without their permission

How stocks, bonds and other markets have fared so far in 2025

It’s been benefiting from the sharp moves in the bond market. The unusual drops for Treasury yields recently are translating into lower rates for mortgages for potential customers. The drops for stock prices that are happening at the same time, though, are likely also scaring potential buyers.

CEO Ryan Marshall said buyers “remain caught between a strong desire for homeownership and the affordability challenges of high selling prices and monthly payments that are stretched.”

Tesla rose 4.1% ahead of its earnings report, which is scheduled to arrive after trading ends for the day. That trimmed its loss for the year so far below 42%.

Elon Musk’s electric car company has already reported its first-quarter car sales dropped by 13% from the year before. It’s been hurt by vandalism, widespread protests and calls for a consumer boycott amid a backlash to Musk’s high-profile role in the White House overseeing a cost-cutting purge of U.S. government agencies.

Stocks also showed how Trump’s tariffs could create winners and losers in a remade global economy.

First Solar jumped 13.5% after the U.S. Department of Commerce finalized harsher-than-expected solar tariffs on some southeast Asian communities.

Defense contractors had some of the market’s sharpest losses after RTX said U.S. tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, along with other products, could mean an $850 million hit to its profit this year. RTX, which builds airplane engines and military equipment, fell 8.4% even though it reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter.

Kimberly-Clark lost 2.2% even though the maker of Huggies and Kleenex likewise reported a better-than-expected profit.

CEO Mike Hsu said that “the current environment will now mean greater costs across our global supply chain” versus what it expected at the start of the year, and the company lowered its forecast for an underlying measure of profit this year.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.39% from 4.42% late Monday.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in modest moves across Europe and Asia.

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.