The Los Angeles Lakers aim for back-to-back wins as they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday in Minneapolis.
Los Angeles is coming off a tight 105-104 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night in Salt Lake City. However, the team had little time to rest, traveling over 1,200 miles for their next game within a 24-hour span.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis carried the Lakers offensively on Sunday, accounting for 53 of the team’s 88 shot attempts. James scored 27 points on 12-of-28 shooting, while Davis added 33 points on 13-of-25 shooting.
The Lakers were without Austin Reaves (left pelvic bruise), Cam Reddish (illness), D’Angelo Russell (illness), and Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain) against Utah. It remains uncertain if any of them will be available on Monday.
The Timberwolves, who are relatively healthy, are seeking consecutive victories for the first time since November 15-17. They snapped a four-game losing streak with a narrow 93-92 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards emphasized defensive intensity as the key to breaking their losing streak. Edwards, the team’s top option, leads Minnesota with 27.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Julius Randle follows with 21.2 points per game, while Naz Reid contributes 13.4 points. Rudy Gobert anchors the defense, averaging a double-double with 10.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
For the Lakers, Anthony Davis leads the team with 28.6 points per game, followed by LeBron James at 22.6 points. Austin Reaves, averaging 16.7 points, is third.
This marks the second of three regular-season matchups between the teams. In their first meeting on October 22 in Los Angeles, the Lakers secured a 110-103 victory.
Davis dominated that game with 36 points and 16 rebounds, while James added 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points on 10-of-25 shooting, and Gobert posted a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
