Karl-Anthony Towns Dominates as LeBron James, Lakers Fall to T-Wolves

David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Despite playing without Anthony Edwards and Taurean Prince due to health and safety protocols, the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to score a 110-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Target Center. 

The T-Wolves announced earlier in the day that Edwards and Prince would be unavailable. 

The Lakers were also playing with just 10 players because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Russell Westbrook was cleared for this game after entering health and safety protocols on Thursday. Isaiah Thomas made his debut for the Lakers after signing a 10-day contract earlier in the day. 

Minnesota has now won three straight games after dropping five straight from Dec. 1 to Dec. 10. Head coach Chris Finch has his team within one game of the .500 mark (14-15) and just 1.5 games behind the Lakers for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. 

This was another complete performance by the T-Wolves coming off a 17-point win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Their offense cracked the 100-point barrier for the 16th consecutive game.   

The Timberwolves have liked playing the Lakers this season. They have won both matchups by an average of 21 points. 

Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for Minnesota with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds. Jarred Vanderbilt used his size to grab 16 rebounds. D’Angelo Russell and Michael Beasley both scored 17 points. 

The Lakers only shot 39 percent from the field and made just 12 of their 43 three-point attempts. Thomas did have a good comeback performance with 19 points off the bench. 

Anthony Davis’ knee is the biggest story for Los Angeles coming out of the game. He left in the third quarter after Jaden McDaniels fell into his leg. The eight-time All-Star was playing in his second straight game after sitting out the previous two games with a knee injury. 

LeBron James did have a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but he only shot 5-of-13 from the field and had nearly as many turnovers (four) as assists (five). 

Notable Game Stats

• Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN): 28 points (11-of-20 FG), 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks
• D’Angelo Russell (MIN): 17 points (6-of-15 FG), 6 assists, 3 steals
• Michael Beasley (MIN): 17 points (7-of-18 FG), 4 assists, 4 rebounds
• LeBron James (LAL): 18 points (5-of-13 FG), 10 rebounds, 5 assists
• Anthony Davis (LAL): 9 points (4-of-7 FG), 1 rebound
• Isaiah Thomas (LAL): 19 points (5-of-12 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist

What’s Next?

The Lakers are scheduled to wrap up their three-game road trip on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Minnesota will host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday in the first half of a home-and-home series between the two teams. 

This article will be updated to
provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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