The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-106 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The victory allowed Los Angeles to sweep the three-game season series and pull even with Minnesota for fourth place in the Western Conference standings with identical 40-25 records.
The matchup served as a critical contest for playoff positioning, following the Timberwolves eliminating the Lakers in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Los Angeles secured the win despite playing without the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, who sat out his third consecutive game due to an elbow injury.
Luka Doncic recorded his seventh triple-double of the season for the Lakers, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. The performance marked the 89th triple-double of his career, placing him seventh in basketball history.
Austin Reaves matched Doncic’s scoring output with 31 points, registering 29 of those points in the second half. After a 1-for-8 shooting performance in the first half, Reaves scored 16 points in the third quarter. He completed two four-point plays in the second half and finished the game with a season-high seven 3-pointers.
Both teams struggled offensively early in the game. The Lakers missed 17 of their first 21 shots during a 16-point first quarter. Minnesota held a 21-16 advantage at the end of the opening period before Los Angeles outscored them 104-85 over the final three quarters.
Deandre Ayton added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles, starting in place of injured rotation players. The Lakers improved to 13-8 overall without James in the lineup, a record that includes a 10-2 mark when Doncic and Reaves both play in his absence.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota in minutes but struggled offensively, scoring 14 points on 2-for-15 shooting from the field. Julius Randle contributed 14 points for the Timberwolves, while four Minnesota bench players scored in double figures. The loss extended Minnesota’s current losing streak to two games after a previous five-game winning streak.
The Timberwolves will play the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The Lakers will host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.