The Minnesota Timberwolves capitalized on a sluggish second-half performance by the Los Angeles Lakers to secure a commanding 109-80 victory Monday night in Minneapolis. Rudy Gobert led the way for Minnesota with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Julius Randle contributed 18 points, while reserves Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 15 points apiece. Donte DiVincenzo also made an impact off the bench with 11 points and nine assists.
D’Angelo Russell paced the Lakers with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while Anthony Davis recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds. LeBron James struggled offensively, scoring just 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting. The Lakers appeared fatigued in their second game on consecutive nights, being outscored 30-16 in the fourth quarter and 53-36 in the second half.
In Atlanta, De’Andre Hunter celebrated his 27th birthday in style, scoring 22 points to lead the Hawks to a victory over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans. The win marked Atlanta’s fourth straight and brought them to the .500 mark for the first time since October 28. Hunter shot 8-for-14 from the field, including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, while Jalen Johnson added 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
New Orleans, playing without key players Zion Williamson (hamstring), Brandon Ingram (leg), Jose Alvarado (hamstring), Herbert Jones (shoulder), and Jordan Hawkins (back), relied on CJ McCollum’s 29 points and Yves Missi’s 23 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
Jaylen Brown dominated for the Boston Celtics, leading all scorers with 29 points and adding seven rebounds as Boston extended its home winning streak to five games with a victory over Miami.
Meanwhile, Josh Giddey recorded his first triple-double of the season with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists to lead the Chicago Bulls to a win over the Brooklyn Nets. Nikola Vucevic added a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, helping Chicago snap a two-game losing streak.
The Nets’ offensive struggles continued, as none of their starters reached the 20-point mark for the second time in three games. Dennis Schroder led the starters with 16 points, while Dariq Whitehead came off the bench to score a team-high 18 points.
