Wolves beat LeBron James-less Lakers after lengthy break

Minnesota hadn't played since Sunday, and Friday's winning effort wasn't without some rust.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley defends and creates a turnover on Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) in the first quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis on Dec. 13, 2024. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Neither the Minnesota Timberwolves nor the Los Angeles Lakers had played since Sunday, and both teams appeared to be shaking off some rust after the lengthy break. That didn't lead to the prettiest of games Friday night in Minneapolis.

There were long stretches of disjointed offense and plenty of bad shooting to go around. But ultimately, even though the margin was close down the stretch, the outcome never really felt in doubt for the Wolves, who were in control from start to finish. Minnesota beat the Lakers, without LeBron James due to an ankle injury, 97-87 in an ugly game at Target Center.

Jaden McDaniels helped the Wolves (13-11) navigate a difficult offensive showing in which they shot just 40% from the field and 28% from 3-point range. McDaniels helped the Wolves shake off a sluggish start and pull away early. After Rudy Gobert grabbed an offensive rebound and slammed down a putback dunk, McDaniels stole the ensuing inbounds pass and threw down a monster jam that put Minnesota up 18-12. The Wolves ended up scoring 32 points in the first frame.

Rudy Gobert offensive rebound + dunk, Jaden McDaniels inbound steal + transition dunk pic.twitter.com/xBN7WXv5F1

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) December 14, 2024

"I could just see that they were being kind of lackadaisical with the ball and just made the most of my opportunity," McDaniels said. "And then just, I don't know, bring energy really."

That was one of five steals for McDaniels, who was playing off the ball defensively — not a common role for Minnesota's best on-ball defender. Getting more opportunities as the low man, McDaniels also had nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. Offensively, he was the Wolves' most efficient player, too, scoring 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting (2 for 5 from long range).

"Jaden was awesome," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "He was the star of the game, for sure."

Julius Randle was another player trying to lead the Wolves through their rust, bullying his way into the paint and creating his own shot. Randle was making a concerted effort to drive the offense, and while it wasn't Minnesota's best offensive effort collectively, Randle provided a much-needed 21 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists.

The positive for the Wolves is that despite their own lackluster offensive effort, the Lakers (13-12) were even worse on that end of the court. They shot just 38% from the field and 29% from 3. Los Angeles also turned it over 22 times, which led to 27 points for the Wolves. Some of that was due to Minnesota's defense — it marked the fifth time in the team's last six games it held the opposition under 100 points — but much of it was also due to the Lakers' own mishaps and miscues.

"I think they had like 10 turnovers in the first quarter. Some of that was our hands and activity, and some of it was just everyone being off for a week, kind of struggling to find a good rhythm out there," Finch said.

Anthony Davis matched a game high with 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds; Austin Reaves had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists; and Max Christie scored 15, but no other Lakers player scored more than nine and their bench scored just 16 points collectively. Los Angeles never led in the game despite the Wolves giving them plenty of opportunities.

Anthony Edwards matched Davis with 23 points and had a team-best plus-minus of plus-25. Edwards did briefly exit to the locker room at the end of the third quarter after suffering an apparent led injury, though he returned to a tight game midway through the fourth quarter and scored five points in the final frame. He had six rebounds for the game.

Rob Dillingham returned after missing several games with an ankle injury and played eight minutes, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers. He also added an assist. Dillingham got a bit of an extended run at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter when Edwards had exited into the locker room. His second 3 came at the start of the fourth quarter.