Playing their third game in four nights and without Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Kyle Anderson, and Monte Morris, the Timberwolves just didn’t have enough offensive firepower to stay afloat in the contest.Anthony Davis with one of the CRAZIEST STATLINES OF HIS CAREER as the Lakers get the WIN over the Timberwolves! pic.twitter.com/hHbFsxuqoU
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) March 11, 2024
On the Lakers front however, Davis added five assists and three blocked shots in one of the most prolific games of his decorated career. He grabbed 21 rebounds in the second half alone as he became the first Laker to have a 25-25 game since Shaq. His stat line is also the first of its kind in NBA history.
Luka Garza's buzzer-beating layup actually had the Timberwolves take a 92-91 lead entering the final 12 minutes. However, Davis anchored a 21-4 Lakers run to start the fourth, opening up a 16-point lead at 112-96 which they would never surrender.Anthony Davis with a SPECIAL performance tonight in LA 👏
— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2024
🔥 27 PTS
🔥 25 REB
🔥 7 STL
🔥 5 AST
🔥 3 BLK
The first player ever with 25+ PTS, 25+ REB and 5+ STL in a game. pic.twitter.com/IXx1RhEWWJ
LeBron James had 29 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, while Austin Reaves added 19 points as the Lakers knocked off another top team following wins over Oklahoma City and Milwaukee on their six-game homestand. Los Angeles (36-30) is six games above .500 for the first time this season.
Naz Reid scored 25 points and hit five 3-pointers in his first start of the season for Minnesota, which hit 16 of its season-high 46 3-point attempts.
Anthony Edwards also scored 25 points for the Wolves, who have lost four of six. Minnesota missed nine consecutive shots to start the fourth quarter while Los Angeles pulled away.
The Lakers are 1.5 games ahead of Golden State for no. 9 in the West. Minnesota dropped to 44-21 and third place in the Western Conference, trailing Denver (44-20) by a half-game and Oklahoma City (45-19) by 1.5 games.
