Luka and LeBron must quickly find winning formula when Lakers face tested Timberwolves in 1st round

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Less than three months after the trade that shook the basketball world, the Los Angeles Lakers are headed into their first postseason with LeBron James and Luka Doncic atop their roster.

The trouble is that this stellar duo has only played 21 games together.

James realizes that might not be enough time to build a bond strong enough to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, who probably have a better idea of who they are and what they can do when these teams begin their first-round playoff series Saturday in downtown LA.

The third-seeded Lakers won 50 games and the Pacific Division despite dramatically changing their core at midseason. Beating the Wolves in a seven-game series is an even tougher task, and James knows there won't be a Hollywood ending to the Lakers' wild year without plenty of work, determination and injury luck.

The 40-year-old James has been cautious with his thoughts about the Lakers in recent weeks as the 22-year veteran heads toward his 18th NBA postseason. Better than anyone, he realizes the enormity of the challenge ahead as he chases his fifth championship.

“Obviously you want to be healthy going into a postseason run, that’s most important,” James said Friday after practice. “And then you want to have been playing at a high level for the majority of the season — being in must-win games going down the stretch, playoff-type intensity games, and we had that. But at the end of the day ... I don’t give a damn how much you know about a team, how much they know about you, all the talk. It’s not about that. It’s about once you get on the floor.”

One year after Minnesota reached the Western Conference finals and lost to Doncic's Mavericks, the Wolves roared into the playoffs this spring with a 17-4 finish to the regular season, playing standout basketball after Julius Randle returned from injury.

LeBron and Luka have the higher seed and home-court advantage — but only just barely.

For all of the Lakers' fanfare and star power, they went 7-7 down the stretch. LA still hung on to the third seed despite winning just one more game than the Wolves — and only two more than eighth-place Memphis.

“Trying to figure stuff out on the fly, it’s not perfect,” Lakers rookie coach JJ Redick said. “And frankly, our stretch since we traded for Luka hasn’t been perfect, and not just with scheduling, and with guys being in and out of the lineup. It just hasn’t been perfect, and it’s really hard to do.”

James and Anthony Edwards are meeting in the NBA playoffs for the first time after they cemented their friendship during last summer's Paris Olympics.

“It means a lot to match up against him, man," Edwards said. "Probably goes down as the greatest player to ever play basketball. Trying to get putting him out of the playoffs under my belt is going to be a tough one, but it’s going to be a fun road.”

James called Edwards “amazing. Unbelievable basketball junkie. Loves to play the game of basketball. Great kid, and all the success those guys have had so far throughout his young career has been awesome to see.”

Confidence won’t be a problem against the Lakers for Edwards, even though he’s still just 23. Keeping his cool has been an issue this season for him, having led the league in technical fouls and amassing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for various behavioral transgressions. He said there’s no reason for the Wolves to worry about that, though.

“I won’t get no techs. I won’t say anything. I’m going to be super-quiet, 100%,” Edwards said.

The Lakers have played this season a heavy gap-help defense that’s designed to keep a gamebreaker like Edwards from doing too much damage at the rim, so the Wolves' wings must be ready to capitalize on catch-and-shoot opportunities. The Wolves were fourth in the NBA in 3-point percentage and fifth in attempts during the regular season, and Edwards led the league in makes.

“If they’re taking the ball out of Ant’s hands, you have an open shot, let it fly. Because once that happens, it just loosens up the defense and opens everything up,” said Donte DiVincenzo, who shot nearly 40% from deep. “And it also is just a confidence-booster for everybody in the locker room. Everybody knows that whoever’s going to give the ball up, the next person is going to have a wide-open shot to try to get a good one. And there’s nobody on the team who’s going to try to do it themselves, and Ant’s at the forefront of that, just building confidence in everybody on the team.”

AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, dunks as Houston Rockets center Jock Landale defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, April 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic (77) and LeBron James (23) celebrate in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is to rule on Monday in a case involving 10 people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, allegations her daughter said damaged her health and family life.

The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting “numerous malicious comments” falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.

Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.

Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.

Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.

The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.

Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.

The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.

Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.

FILE - French President's wife Brigitte Macron arrives ahead of the ceremony outside "La Belle Equipe" bar, Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 in Paris as part of ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)