Lakers 2016-17 Schedule: 5 Most Important Games

2. Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves — November 13, 2016

20 years ago, on November 3, 1996, NBA legends Kobe Bryant & Kevin Garnett played their first game against one another for these two franchises. Garnett had 12 points and Bryant was scoreless off the bench. 20 years later, these teams are in a similar stage of new beginnings. The young stars of each team look to carry carve out their own paths in the NBA.

The Lakers and Timberwolves enter this game as mirror images of each other—for the most part. Both squads enjoyed solid off-seasons as well. Head coaches Luke Walton and Tom Thibodeau will be replacing Byron Scott and Sam Mitchell, respectively. Both teams used their top-five draft picks to take potential All-Stars. And both teams signed a few veterans to help the young players take the next step.

The Lakers and Wolves have been consistently compared over the last few seasons and rightfully so. After living at the bottom of the Western Conference for the past several seasons, both teams see this season as a chance to change their fortunes. And while Minnesota may be in a bit more favorable position, that doesn’t take away the shine from this matchup.

This game will be a good test for the Lakers to see how well they match up with Karl Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, and Zach LaVine. LA will need to establish themselves against this team as they will see a lot of each other over the years with these iterations of their young cores. As two teams looking to make their back to the playoffs and franchise respectability, I fully expect them to have many intense battles over the next five-to-six years, if not for longer.

Next: No. 3 Christmas Day Battle for LA