Luka Doncic Says He, LeBron James Will Have to Keep Lakers 'Together' In G3 vs. Wolves

After bouncing back with a crucial Game 2 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to even the Western Conference playoff series, Luka Dončić knows the Los Angeles Lakers are heading into hostile territory with things shifting to Target Center.

Speaking to reporters following Tuesday's 94-85 victory, Dončić explained it's on him and LeBron James to help the Lakers stay "together" to avoid being overwhelmed by Timberwolves fans.

"Going into Minnesota is going to be a war," Dončić said. "The fans are going to be cheering like crazy. So no matter what, we can't panic. We got to stay together. And that's on me and Bron to keep the team together."

Offense remains an issue for the Lakers in the playoffs, but their defense stepped up in a big way compared to Game 1. The Timberwolves opened the series scoring 117 points on 21-of-42 three-point shooting.

Regression hit the T-Wolves hard on Tuesday night, as they were just 5-of-25 from behind the arc. Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle were the only players to score in double-figures, combining for 52 of the team's 85 points.

The Lakers have been held under 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 2-4. They had enough offense in Game 2 thanks in large part to Dončić, who finished with 31 points.

More important for the Lakers, though, was Dončić's passing looked much better. After tying his playoff career-low with one assist in Game 1, the five-time All-Star had nine assists on Tuesday night.

James also played much better, putting up 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. He's still trying to find a shooting rhythm in the series, making just eight of 19 field-goal attempts in Game 2.

This series was expected to be a slugfest between two of the most physical teams in the NBA. It has lived up to that billing, with Tuesday being the lowest scoring game of the entire postseason so far.

Dončić knows Minnesota well since that was where he ripped the heart out of Timberwolves fans in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals last season with his go-ahead three in the final seconds over Rudy Gobert.

The Lakers will be hoping to get that type of performance from Dončić in Game 3 on Friday as they look to take control of the series.