The Wolves beat the LeBron James-less Lakers after a long break

On By Littum

Neither the Minnesota Timberwolves nor the Los Angeles Lakers had played since Sunday, and both teams appeared to be shaking off some rust after the long layoff. It didn’t lead to the prettiest of games Friday night in Minneapolis.

Both teams put together extended stretches of disjointed offense and had a number of defensive breakdowns. In the end, although the margin was close late on, the result never really felt in doubt for the Wolves. Minnesota beat the Lakers, who were without LeBron James because of an ankle injury, 97-87 in an ugly game Friday night at the Target Center.

The Wolves (13-11) started quickly. They scored 32 points in the opening quarter and looked like they had run away from the Lakers (13-12), just like the last time the two teams met at the Target Center. But both teams came up empty possession after possession in the second quarter. Minnesota scored just four points in the first six minutes of the frame, and Los Angeles was able to close the gap to only face a six-point deficit at the half after trailing by as many as 14 points.

The ball was in Julius Randle’s hands most of the night, and he finished with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists. Jaden McDaniels had a nice game offensively with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and nine rebounds.

Anthony Edwards left at the end of the third quarter with an apparent leg injury, but he returned in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and scored five points on his way to a team-high 23. He also added six rebounds and an assist.

Rob Dillingham returned after missing several games with an ankle injury and played eight minutes, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers. He also added an assist. Dillingham got a bit of an extended run at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter when Edwards had gone to the locker room. His second 3 came early in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves return to action on Sunday night when they visit the San Antonio Spurs for a tip-off at 6 p.m.