Lakers Get Devoured By Wolves, Minnesota Wins 143-107
By Blair Hicks
Sometimes there isn’t much you can say about a team. It is what it is. In this most wayward of seasons in Lakers history, all you can hope for at this point is that the team doesn’t embarrass itself further as it finishes playing out the string. A loss last night to the league worst Milwaukee Bucks was not even the low point of this short road trip for the Lakers.
The Lakers were whooped by the Minnesota Timberwolves 143-107 at the Target Center.
The game was over after the 1st quarter. Minnesota opened the game with a 20-4 run behind the dominant play of Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Love. Pekovic scored 12 points and Love scored 15 as the Timberwolves ran away from the Lakers 41-24 after the 1st period. Nick Young scored 9 points on three 3 pointers.
The second quarter was equally bad. Offensively the Lakers left their offense in Los Angeles, having pronounced droughts throughout the period, scoring only 6 points in the first 10 minutes of the quarter. The Timberwolves bench, led by Chase Budinger and Dante Cunningham, grew a 17 point lead to 37 points. They led 69-32 with 2:24 remaining in the half. An 11-2 Lakers run made the score respectable at the break, 74-43.
The Wolves stretched the lead to 40 points midway through the third period, leading 100-60 with 4:48 remaining. From that point, the Wolves took their feet off the gas. Steve Nash made a jumpshot and Jodie Meeks scored 9 points in the period. The Lakers trailed 111-77 after 3.
In the fourth period, garbage time minutes abounded for both teams emptied their bench and Gorgui Dieng had a career high 7 point quarter, and rookie Shabazz Muhammad and Alexey Schved each scored 5 points.
For the game ,Nikola Pekovic scored 26 points, Kevin Love had a triple double scoring 22 points to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Gorgui Dieng scored 14 points. For the Lakers, Kent Bazemore had 21 points and Jodie Meeks scored 19. Robert Sacre scored 14. The Lakers shot 43% from the field and just 28% from 3. On a positive note they only had 8 turnovers. The Wolves shot 67% from the field and 44% from 3, and made 33 free throws. They won by 36 despite 21 turnovers.
The Lakers have only 10 games remaining in the season and play the Phoenix Suns Sunday in Los Angeles.