On April 8, Beijing time, in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 127-117 and returned to No. 1 in the West. In this matchup, LeBron James was absent due to physical reasons, and Anthony Davis retired with a left eye injury.
Statistics
Lakers: Hachimura 30 points and 6 rebounds, Hayes 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals, Russell 15 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists, Reaves 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, Dinwiddie 18 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists;
Timberwolves: Reed 31 points and 11 rebounds, Edwards 26 points and 8 assists, Gobert 18 points and 16 rebounds, McDaniels 11 points and 3 rebounds, Walker 15 points and 4 assists, Lee Kyle 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block;
Background
Before this game, the Lakers ranked 9th in the West with a regular season record of 45 wins and 33 losses, and the Timberwolves ranked 2nd in the West with a regular season record of 53 wins and 24 losses. In the regular season this season, the two sides have met three times before, with the Lakers winning 1-2. The Lakers have been in a hot state recently, defeating the Nets, Raptors, Wizards, and Cavaliers one after another, winning four consecutive victories. In this matchup, LeBron James was out due to physical reasons.
Race moments
At the beginning of the game, the Lakers scored 4 points in a row at the beginning of the game, and the Timberwolves quickly gave the opponent a counterattack through mid-to-long-range jumpers, breakthrough layups with the ball and interior ball-holding offense, and continued to score points to blast out a wave of 11-5. Immediately afterwards, Hachimura, Reaves and Dinwiddie hit three-pointers one after another, and the Lakers went on an 11-2 run. In the following period, Edwards carried the Timberwolves' offensive banner, and scored points one after another, leading the team to close the deficit to 2 points. Just when the Timberwolves were preparing to instigate a new offensive attack, Dinwiddie continued his hot hand to help the Lakers stabilize the situation. At the end of the quarter, Anthony Davis made up for a dunk and completed 200 dunks in a single season, becoming the third person in Lakers history to achieve this result after O'Neal and McGee. After that, the Timberwolves continued to score points through free throws and three-pointers to close the score again. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers were 37-33.
Entering the second quarter, the two sides alternated points on the offensive end at the beginning of the game, and the Timberwolves immediately burst out of the scoring climax, and when Conley hit a three-pointer, the Timberwolves led by 5 points at 49-44. The Lakers then instigated an onslaught to chase the score to 54-54. Immediately afterwards, the Lakers felt cold and made a series of mistakes, the Timberwolves seized the opportunity to instigate a fierce attack, Reed hit consecutive three-pointers, Edwards broke through the layup and scored and McDaniels scored 2+1, and the Timberwolves burst into a wave of 15-3. Haas hit a 2+1 to stop the bleeding for the Lakers, but Reed hit another three-pointer and Gobert dunked. At the end of the quarter, the two sides again alternated points. At halftime, the Timberwolves were 79-64. Reed scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the first half as Anthony Davis exited the game in the second quarter with a left eye injury.
Yibian fought again, Gobert dunked and Reed hit another three-pointer, and the Timberwolves opened the game with a wave of 5-0 to instantly extend the lead to 20 points. The Lakers quickly responded to the opponent, Hachimura and Reaves hit three-pointers one after another, and Russell and Hayes also scored one after another, and the Lakers launched a wave of 17-4 to close the deficit to 7 points. Edwards scored on a jumper, but the Lakers scored four more points in a row. Immediately afterwards, the two sides scored points on inside and outside shots, and when Edwards scored on a free throw, the Timberwolves held a seven-point advantage. At the end of the quarter, Reddish hit a three-pointer, but Walker and Edwards hit a three-pointer and Lee Kyle scored on a layup. At the end of the third quarter, the Timberwolves were 102-92.
In the final quarter, the Timberwolves scored 4 points in a row led by Li Kaier. In the following period, the two sides alternated points on outside shots and inside attacks, and when Conley countered and hit a layup, the Timberwolves held a 14-point advantage. Hachimura scored on a layup, but the Timberwolves then went on an 8-0 run led by Reed and Gobert to extend their lead to 20 points. The Lakers tried to organize a new round of counterattack, and the Timberwolves scored points one after another to stabilize the situation on the court. Due to the large difference in points and the lack of time left, the game lost the suspense. In the end, the Timberwolves won against the Lakers.
Both sides start
Lakers: Anthony Davis, Russell, Reaves, Dinwiddie, Hachimura;
Timberwolves: Edwards, Conley, Gobert, McDaniels, Reed;