Luka Doncic Hyped By NBA Fans as LeBron, Lakers Beat Anthony Edwards, Wolves in Game 2

Anthony Edwards talked trash to Luka Dončić before Tuesday's Game 2, but the Los Angeles Lakers superstar got the last laugh.

Dončić led the Lakers to a 94-85 victory over Edwards' Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena to even their Western Conference playoffs first-round series at one game apiece.

While Minnesota earned a split in the first two contests and stole home-court advantage, Dončić made sure it wasn't a 2-0 lead behind 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a spectacular performance.

LeBron James filled the stat sheet in support with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while Edwards (25 points and six rebounds) and Julius Randle (27 points and six assists) led the way on the other side.

Still, Dončić drew the most attention from social media:

For all the discussion about the James and Dončić pairing heading into the playoffs, it was the Timberwolves who controlled all of Game 1 on the way to a shocking blowout. And Tuesday marked a golden opportunity to put the Purple and Gold on sweep watch with another road win before the series shifted to Minnesota.

Los Angeles sensed the urgency and reacted accordingly right out of the gates.

It jumped out to a commanding 19-point lead through the first quarter with Dončić catching fire and Gabe Vincent providing the exclamation point with his own late triple off the bench. 

Dončić outscored Minnesota in the opening quarter by himself, which made Edwards' decision to talk trash to him before the game all the more questionable. To the Timberwolves star's credit, he did what he could to cut into the deficit and even unleashed a monster jam over Jaxson Hayes.

But Dončić was there with an answer seemingly every time Minnesota made a small run.

The five-time All-Star mixed in jaw-dropping passes and timely baskets to stifle momentum from the visitors. Throw in his ability to get to the free-throw line as a way of settling things down, and everything was an uphill climb for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota cut the deficit to single digits multiple times in the fourth quarter, but it never got over the hump in that uphill battle.

James made multiple important plays in the final minutes, including a steal on Edwards, and iced a victory that was never truly in doubt. But his Lakers will need to figure out a way to win a game on the road to advance past the first round, as the series shifts to Minnesota for Friday's Game 3.