The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 109-80 on Monday night thanks to 18 points from Julius Randle and 17 points and 12 rebounds from Rudy Gobert.
According to Sportradar, the Wolves (10-10) held the Lakers to their lowest point total since a 122-73 defeat at Dallas in 2017 thanks to 15 points from each of Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
While his Olympic colleagues LeBron James and Anthony Davis were equally quiet for the Lakers (12–9), Anthony Edwards scored just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting for the Wolves.
James scored 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting, his 19th consecutive 3-pointer missed. Davis finished with 11 rebounds and 12 points. After recovering from sickness and making his comeback to the starting lineup, D'Angelo Russell scored 20 points.
The Lakers flew another time zone east to play a team they defeated 110-103 in the season opener thanks to 36 points and 16 rebounds from Davis after defeating Utah 105-104 on Sunday.
Key Takeaways
Lakers: At the halfway point of the season, rookie coach J.J. Redick called his squad "uneven and inconsistent." That threshold was not even exceeded by the Lakers' sixth defeat in their previous seven games.
Timberwolves: Reviving its transition game and 3-point shooting are Minnesota's two top concerns now that the defense is locked down. They checked both boxes. The Timberwolves tallied 20 fast-break points and shot 15 for 35 from beyond the arc.
Crucial moment
Against Davis and the Lakers, Gobert, the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, caused a lot of trouble. Late in the third, Gobert scored a rare fast-break dunk after stealing an inbounds ball from Max Christie.
Important statistic
For the second consecutive game and the fourth this season, the Wolves kept their opponent below 100 points. They kept opponents to double digits 23 times in 2023–24, when they were the league leaders in scoring defense.
Next up
The Wolves visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, and the Lakers face the Miami Heat.
Nikhil Rajawat
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 109-80 on Monday night thanks to 18 points from Julius Randle and 17 points and 12 rebounds from Rudy Gobert.
According to Sportradar, the Wolves (10-10) held the Lakers to their lowest point total since a 122-73 defeat at Dallas in 2017 thanks to 15 points from each of Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
While his Olympic colleagues LeBron James and Anthony Davis were equally quiet for the Lakers (12–9), Anthony Edwards scored just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting for the Wolves.
James scored 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting, his 19th consecutive 3-pointer missed. Davis finished with 11 rebounds and 12 points. After recovering from sickness and making his comeback to the starting lineup, D'Angelo Russell scored 20 points.
The Lakers flew another time zone east to play a team they defeated 110-103 in the season opener thanks to 36 points and 16 rebounds from Davis after defeating Utah 105-104 on Sunday.
Key Takeaways
Lakers: At the halfway point of the season, rookie coach J.J. Redick called his squad "uneven and inconsistent." That threshold was not even exceeded by the Lakers' sixth defeat in their previous seven games.
Timberwolves: Reviving its transition game and 3-point shooting are Minnesota's two top concerns now that the defense is locked down. They checked both boxes. The Timberwolves tallied 20 fast-break points and shot 15 for 35 from beyond the arc.
Crucial moment
Against Davis and the Lakers, Gobert, the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, caused a lot of trouble. Late in the third, Gobert scored a rare fast-break dunk after stealing an inbounds ball from Max Christie.
Important statistic
For the second consecutive game and the fourth this season, the Wolves kept their opponent below 100 points. They kept opponents to double digits 23 times in 2023–24, when they were the league leaders in scoring defense.
Next up
The Wolves visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, and the Lakers face the Miami Heat.