One-third of the season is in the books and the Minnesota Timberwolves are the only team in the NBA that has yet to lose consecutive games.
After falling in Philadelphia Wednesday, the Timberwolves returned home and traded blows with the Lakers for three quarters before delivering the knockout punch in the fourth quarter on their way to a 118-111 win.
At 21-6, Minnesota is tied with Boston for the best record in the NBA. But there is some concern after Karl-Anthony Towns went to the locker room with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter after he slammed into the basket stanchion.
Head coach Chris Finch didn’t have an update on Towns after the game, only saying he was hopeful that it’s not serious.
Chris Finch does not have an update on Karl-Anthony Towns other than saying, "hopefully it's not too serious."
— Jack Borman (@jrborman13) December 22, 2023
Towns had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists before exiting.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 27 points while adding seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. He and Towns fueled a balanced effort as all five Minnesota starters scored in double figures and seven players had at least nine points.
- Rudy Gobert: 15 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks
- Mike Conley: 16 points, 8 assists, 2 steals
- Jaden McDaniels: 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting
- Kyle Anderson: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
- Naz Reid: 9 points, 5 rebounds
The loss is the fifth straight for the Lakers, who played without LeBron James due to ankle tendinitis.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 31 points and ex-Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell finished with 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting while dishing out eight assists.
Up next: Timberwolves at Sacramento, Saturday at 9 p.m. CT.
