Luka Dončić against the Minnesota Timberwolves felt like one of the safer bets in the entire playoff field. He played them a year ago. It didn't end well for Minnesota. The Dallas Mavericks sent them home in five games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a dominant 117-95 win over the Lakers in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series. While it's unlikely the series will continue to be this lopsided, the Lakers clearly have some work to do if they are going to avoid another first-round playoff exit.

An early Luka Doncic surge briefly masks Minnesota's dominance, with the frustrated Lakers falling 117-95 to the physical Timberwolves in Game 1 on Saturday.

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison failed to answer a question about Luka Doncic that many wanted him to answer

Harrison told reporters Monday the Mavs want defense to be "our calling card," so the franchise "jumped" at the chance to acquire Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers. Harrison is nothing if not consistent.

Luka Dončić is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, and he'll make his first playoff appearance with his new team on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But it's barely been two months since the trade heard around the world jolted people upon learning that Dončić had been traded from the Dallas Mavericks,