Jaxson Hayes

Austin Reaves tallied 16 points (5-of-13 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), three rebounds, three assists and three three-pointers in 37 minutes in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Timberwolves.

LeBron James shot 8-of-18 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Timberwolves, scoring 19 points with five rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks and one three-pointer in 36 minutes.

Luka Doncic accumulated 37 points (12-of-22 FGs, 8-of-9 FTs), eight rebounds, one assist, two steals and five three-pointers in 40 minutes in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Timberwolves.

Playing in the postseason as a Laker for the first time, Doncic recorded a gaudy stat line in Saturday’s series opener. Unfortunately, he was also responsible for five turnovers, and the Lakers were unable to keep the Timberwolves under wraps after getting off to a solid start. The turnover count wasn’t out of the ordinary for Doncic, but his efficiency will be of heightened importance in this series. Especially if the Lakers have as much trouble defensively as they did in Game 1. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night.

Naz Reid amassed 23 points (8-of-12 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and six three-pointers in 31 minutes in Saturday’s Game 1 win over the Lakers.

Reid took a Jarred Vanderbilt elbow to the mouth during the second half of Saturday’s series opener, and that was all that slowed him down. The Timberwolves’ backup big scored 17 in the first half and finished the game one steal shy of a complete stat line. Since scoring 20 points in a March 24 loss to the Pacers, Reid surpassed 15 points once in his final eight appearances of the regular season. The Lakers utilized a “boxes and elbows” defensive strategy in an attempt to keep Anthony Edwards out of the lane, which resulted in players like Reid getting cleaner looks. His play (and that of Jaden McDaniels) could force the Lakers to alter their approach for Wednesday’s Game 2.

Karl-Anthony Towns amassed 23 points (10-of-14 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals, two blocks and one three-pointer in 39 minutes in Saturday’s Game 1 win over the Pistons.

Towns was impactful on both ends of the floor in his first playoff game in a Knicks uniform. In addition to shooting well over 50 percent from the field, he recorded a complete stat line and did not commit a turnover. To say he looked far more comfortable on Saturday than he did in New York’s April 10 loss to the Pistons would be an understatement. The Knicks will need Towns to consistently reach (or exceed) the level he played at on Saturday to go deep into the playoffs. Game 2 is on Monday night.

Myles Turner had 19 points (7-of-12 FGs), five rebounds, two assists, one steal, four blocks and four three-pointers against the Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

While Turner had just five rebounds in Game 1, he was otherwise excellent. The 29-year-old center was a force on the defensive end with a steal and four blocks. On the offensive end, he was able to make four three-pointers as the Pacers pulled away from the Bucks. Turner vastly outplayed his counterpart Brook Lopez as the Pacers took a one-game advantage in the series.