The Los Angeles Lakers will seek their second win in as many nights when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday in Minneapolis.
The Lakers are coming off a narrow 105-104 victory against the Utah Jazz on Sunday night in Salt Lake City. They had little time to celebrate before traveling over 1,200 miles for their next game within a 24-hour span.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were the focal points of the Lakers’ offense on Sunday, accounting for 53 of the team’s 88 shot attempts. James made 12 of 28 attempts and finished with 27 points, while Davis shot 13 of 25 and ended with 33 points.
Lakers coach JJ Redick had emphasized his desire for both players to take at least 25 shots.
Los Angeles played without Austin Reaves (left pelvic bruise), Cam Reddish (illness), D’Angelo Russell (illness), and Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain). It remains uncertain if any of these players will be available for Monday’s game.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is relatively healthier and aims for back-to-back wins for the first time since November 15-17. The Timberwolves are coming off a 93-92 home win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards said that he and his teammates focused on playing hard, particularly on defense, to end their losing skid.
Edwards has established himself as the clear No. 1 option on the roster, leading the Timberwolves with 27.7 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
Julius Randle ranks second in scoring for Minnesota with 21.2 points per game, while Naz Reid is third with 13.4 points per contest. Rudy Gobert is averaging a double-double with 10.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
For the Lakers, Davis is the top scorer with 28.6 points per game, followed by James with 22.6 points and Reaves with 16.7 points per game.
This is the second of three regular-season matchups between the Lakers and Timberwolves. They first met in the season opener on October 22 in Los Angeles, where the Lakers secured a 110-103 win.
In their first matchup, Davis scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, while James added 16 points on 7-for-16 shooting.
Edwards led the Timberwolves in that game with 27 points on 10-for-25 shooting, and Gobert recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
