New FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Timberwolves- Game 38

New FSM Essential Recap: Lakers vs Timberwolves- Game 38

Franchise Sports Media

Los Angeles Lakers (19-19)  | Minnesota Timberwolves (16-20)

 

The Los Angeles Lakers got back to .500 on the season with a close 108-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

 

The Los Angeles Lakers began 2022 with a close 108-103 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

LeBron James got the scoring started with a three on the first possession of the game with a three, but the start quickly became overshadowed by Naz Reid scoring six of the first eight Wolves points within the first three minutes of the game.

The Lakers kept the Wolves behind on the scoreboard but had trouble pulling away as Minnesota kept matching to the best of their ability. Los Angeles maintained a five-point lead for most of the second part of the first quarter until a three from Carmelo Anthony increased the lead by eight. Jaylen Nowell answered with a three of his own, but the Lakers maintained pace and ended the first quarter up by seven.

Nowell got the first basket of the second quarter via downtown shooting, but Malik Monk answered with his own three. Minnesota fought back early in the quarter as a 10-2 run brought the Wolves to within two before Trevor Ariza drained a three to stop the bleeding. A second comeback attempt led to a tie game at 45 thanks to a three by Taurean Prince. The Lakers did not fall behind in the count as they went back ahead off an Avery Bradley three and maintained their slim lead throughout the final two minutes of the half.

Reid and Anthony Edwards tried keeping pace as best as possible, but the half ended with the Lakers still ahead.

 

A tense back-and-forth scoring half ended with the Lakers ahead 57-54.

 

The teams began the second-half trading points until Minnesota went on a burst run that included Malik Beasley nailing a three to give the Wolves their first lead since the first quarter. Suddenly Los Angeles trailed by six before James and Monk brought the game back into a tie by the halfway point of the third quarter.

The Lakers regained their lead off of Talen Horton-Tucker free throws, but the team was unable to keep the lead by the end of the quarter. Anthony Edwards gave the Wolves an 80-78 lead with six seconds left in the quarter, looking to flip the momentum of this game for good.

The Lakers tried to maintain pace with the Wolves, and the result was trading the lead back and forth in the first four minutes before coming out with a two-point cushion at the 8:00 mark. With five minutes left, Russell Westbrook pulled up for a jumper and increased the lead to six, but Minnesota fought back to within one thanks to a Beasley three.

Los Angeles maintained enough momentum for the remainder of the quarter to pull back out to a multiple-possession game off of big shots from Anthony and Bradley. By the final minute and a half, the Wolves could not close the gap to any more than five as the Lakers held on to win 108-103.

James led all scorers with 26 points, while Monk added 22 points in a rare start.

With a two-game win streak and getting to 19-19 on the season, the Lakers finally have some momentum on their side as they begin to prepare for the return of Anthony Davis to the starting lineup. It is reported that James and Davis will spend a lot of time as the two main centers moving forward, a very interesting move as the season reaches the halfway point.

 

The Lakers will welcome the Sacramento Kings to Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night. The game will start at 7:30 and can be seen live on Spectrum SportsNet.

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– Matt Dobbs – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Matt on Twitter @RecordBowlerFSM

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