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MINNEAPOLIS — The magic the Lakers had against the Dallas Mavericks conscionable days agone had a frustratingly abbreviated support life. Marred by injuries and the up-and-down absences of the pandemic, determination was nary Minnesota occurrence to beryllium had.
That was wide successful the 4th fourth of a 110-92 nonaccomplishment to the Timberwolves connected Friday night, erstwhile Karl Anthony-Towns crowed implicit a listless Lakers (16-14) squad. With LeBron James successful a funk, Anthony Davis dealing with injuries successful the locker room, and Russell Westbrook not rather up to highest form, the signifier was mostly occupied by Towns, who led the lopsided triumph with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots – the 2nd clip Minnesota has embarrassed the Lakers this season.
The worst improvement for the Lakers was that an already precarious wounded concern took a acheronian crook successful the 3rd quarter, erstwhile Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels rolled into the near genu of Davis, causing him to grimace connected the hardwood for the 2nd clip connected the aforesaid night. Davis (nine points, 1 rebound, 1 block) made a little instrumentality to the Lakers’ bench, but yet went backmost into the locker country wherever helium remained for the remainder of the game.
The Lakers said Davis had suffered a bruise and would beryllium further evaluated Saturday successful Chicago. Concern is elevated due to the fact that of wherever the wounded was: Davis missed 2 of the erstwhile 3 games with what the squad termed “left genu soreness.”
It could pb to a earnestly understaffed matchup against the Bulls, who were lone conscionable cleared to signifier connected Saturday aft their erstwhile 2 games were postponed owed to their ain COVID-19 outbreak. The Lakers had six players confined to the NBA’s protocols connected Friday night, and amid a breakout that has affected the full league, determination is looming interest that much affirmative coronavirus tests could beryllium connected the horizon.
Not that the Lakers who were disposable showed a tremendous magnitude of life: James had 1 of his astir underwhelming games of the season, finishing with 18 points connected 5-for-13 shooting. While helium had a deceptive double-double, James lone had 8 points done 3 quarters, and the Lakers were outscored by 11 successful his 35 minutes.
The Lakers were hoping for a assistance from Westbrook, a precocious summation to the lineup aft conscionable clearing protocols Friday afternoon. But whether it was pitchy lag from his precocious formation from Dallas oregon thing else, Westbrook had constricted influence, scoring 14 points with 3 assists and shooting conscionable 7 times.
It was wide by the extremity of the 3rd 4th that determination wasn’t overmuch anticipation near for the Lakers. They had enactment up a spot of a combat earlier, rattling disconnected 11 consecutive points capped by a Kent Bazemore 3-pointer to trim their shortage to three. But Davis went down not agelong aft that, and the Wolves pounced with their ain 10-0 run, Towns dunking for the exclamation point.
The Lakers ne'er got wrong azygous digits again. Players who had helped 2 nights earlier successful Dallas – astir memorably rookie Austin Reaves, who deed the game-winning 3-pointer successful overtime – were missed portion confined to quarantine.
From the beginning, the Timberwolves crackled with an urgency that the Lakers weren’t acceptable to match. Towns exuded the astir energy, targeting Davis for bullying back-downs successful the overgarment and flexing aft scoring Minnesota’s archetypal 8 points. The 2 erstwhile No. 1 wide picks retired of Kentucky person often been compared arsenic agelong large men, but Towns emphasized his borderline successful axenic brawn.
Eight minutes in, Towns had arsenic galore points arsenic the off-shooting Lakers offense, who missed their archetypal 10 3-point attempts and made conscionable 4 of their archetypal 17 shots. And that’s erstwhile it started getting bad.
Finishing a thrust to the rim, Davis twisted his close ankle and went down hard. He was successful the visiting locker country with the sprain for a quarter. The Lakers made bash with DeAndre Jordan successful spurts, portion besides deploying Carmelo Anthony and James arsenic the 2 bigs earlier Davis returned with conscionable nether 4 minutes near successful the 2nd quarter.
But the Lakers were trying to plug an already leaky ship. With their extended protocols list, they besides had to commencement Kent Bazemore – precocious retired of the rotation – and deploy Rajon Rondo and recently signed Isaiah Thomas successful pint-sized backcourt lineups.
Thomas got a lasting ovation from the Target Center assemblage successful designation of his pugnacious roadworthy backmost into the NBA and the Lakers, whom helium played 17 games for during the 2017-18 season. And the 5-foot-9 defender obliged the admiration, making a fistful of floaters and getting to the free-throw enactment six times successful the archetypal half. Playing plentifulness of fourth-quarter garbage time, Thomas adjacent coiled up arsenic the Lakers’ starring scorer with 19 points.
But arsenic Minnesota relentlessly picked connected him connected defense, it was intolerable to fell that Thomas’ feel-good quality was specified duct portion connected the structural weaknesses caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
More to travel connected this story.
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