LeBron James hit a career low to start the NBA playoffs, suffering his worst-ever Game 1 loss in the first round as the Los Angeles Lakers struggled against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers fell 117-95 on Saturday as they struggled to contain the red-hot Timberwolves. Minnesota connected on 51.2% of their shots from the field and 50% from behind the 3-point arc, pulling away in the second quarter and maintaining a comfortable lead.

Though the Lakers finished the first quarter with a 28-21 lead, the Timberwolves took control in the second frame as they outscored the Lakers by 18 points and went into halftime up 59-48.

Speaking to reporters after the game, James said the Lakers should have had the game within their grasp but got outworked by the Timberwolves.

“Obviously, we’ve got to do a better job of controlling the controllables and we didn’t do a good enough job after the first quarter,” James said. “But, giving up 21 threes, giving up 20-plus fast break points, second-chance points, those are some of the things that we can control,” he added.

James added that the Lakers knew the Timberwolves had plenty of firepower from behind the 3-point arc, but still didn’t do a good enough job guarding the perimeter.

“We’ve got to do a better job of closing the bodies and getting out on shooters,” he said.

The Lakers did have some bright points despite the blowout loss. James scored 19 points while Luka Doncic added 37 points in his first playoff game before the Los Angeles crowd. Doncic poured in 19 points in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers failed to pull close as the Timberwolves built up a significant lead and cruised to the Game 1 victory.