MINNEAPOLIS — The Lakers entered Friday optimistic about the benefits of a rare four-day break from games ahead of their road matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But the reality of their 97-87 loss to the Timberwolves also revealed one of the downsides of having a lengthier break: rust.
The Lakers’ effort, especially defensively, was evident for most of Friday night’s game at the Target Center. But when it came to their half-court offense, they struggled to get out of their own way, leading to their eighth loss in the past 11 games.
There were their 11 first-quarter turnovers that directly led to the Timberwolves scoring 16 points, helping Minnesota take a 32-23 lead going into the second.
The Lakers’ turnovers total after the first period was the same amount or more than they finished with in eight of 24 games entering Friday. They turned the ball over on their first possession of the second, giving them 12 giveaways in just over 12 minutes of game clock.
Even when they took better care of the ball, the timing of some of their giveaways slowed the momentum they started to build after getting defensive stops: Anthony Davis mishandled the ball after blocking a shot, directing leading to a Naz Reid 3-pointer that extended Minnesota’s lead to 74-61 after the Lakers (13-11) had scored seven unanswered points.
Austin Reaves sent a pass into the second row of the Timberwolves’ bench early in the fourth quarter, and Rob Dillingham knocked down a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to put Minnesota ahead 80-72.
Minnesota’s Mike Conley missed a 3-pointer and Rui Hachimura grabbed the rebound for the Lakers, but Julius Randle stole the ball and quickly fed Jaden McDaniels for a layup and an 89-82 lead with 2:03 left.
And the Lakers’ turnovers were exacerbated by their poor shot-making: they shot just 38.4% from the field (33 for 86) and 28.6% from behind the arc (10 for 35).
The Lakers didn’t score more than 25 points in any quarter on Friday, making it eight consecutive quarters when they didn’t reach the 25-point threshold in a quarter against the Timberwolves, who routed them on Dec. 2 in Minneapolis.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 23 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, but he also had four turnovers.
Reaves, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games because of a bruised left pelvis, finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes. Max Christie was the only other Laker to score in double figures, finishing with 15 points, but he also had four turnovers.
The Lakers finished with a season-high 22 giveaways for 27 Timberwolves’ points.
LeBron James missed his second consecutive game because of left foot soreness and remains away from the team with an excused absence after not being with the team earlier in the week because of personal reasons.
Anthony Edwards had 23 points and six rebounds to lead Minnesota. Randle (21 points, five rebounds), McDaniels (18 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots) and Rudy Gobert (12 points, 13 rebounds) also made significant contributions for the Timberwolves (13-11), who won for the fifth time in six games.
More to come on this story.