Lakers' Luka Doncic Eyes Gobert Matchup vs. Wolves, 'I Like to Get a Center on Me'

Luka Dončić is ready for another playoff matchup with Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert during the Los Angeles Lakers' upcoming first-round series.

"Since I came to the league, I like to play pick-and-roll," Dončić said Thursday per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I like to get a center on me."

Last spring, Dončić hit a game-winning three-pointer over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year to seal a Dallas Mavericks win over the Timberwolves in Game 2 of the 2024 Western Conference Finals.

Dončić finished the series having averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists to eliminate the Wolves and lead the Mavericks to the finals.

Gobert, who has once again played a key role as rim protector for the Timberwolves this season, talked about potentially defending Dončić for a second straight postseason during his own Thursday media availability.

"They've probably seen that clip, that step-back, a thousand times. So did I," Gobert said. "But this is one clip, amongst a lot of other defensive possessions... People might hit some tough shots over me, and I might get dunked on, and all that stuff might happen, but let's see what happens over the course of hundreds and hundreds of possessions."

Gobert also called playing against Dončić in last year's conference finals "a great learning experience."

"We've tried a lot of different coverages, we've seen a lot of different things," Gobert said. "Same player, different team, different guys around him, but they're going to run some of the same actions. We know that. So it's going to be on us to, once again, do as best as we can to try to limit him."

The Lakers and Timberwolves are set to tip off Game 1 in Los Angeles on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.