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The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the loss column after a 97-87 loss on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In their second straight game without LeBron James in the lineup, L.A. drops to 13-12 in their fourth loss in the last five games.
The Lakers' defensive effort kept them alive and in reach throughout the game with Anthony Davis anchoring. He finished with a team-high 23 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, his 19th double-double this season.
“Overall I really thought that was probably our best defensive game we’ve had all season,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said on the defensive effort.
But the turnovers and missed open shots kept them from getting any sort of rhythm offensively to create a spark in their ninth road loss this season.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 23 points on nine-for-20 shooting.
Here are some takeaways from the Lakers loss in Minnesota:
Season-high in Turnovers
The Lakers' mishaps piled up early on to start the game with 11 turnovers in the first quarter and 14 going into the half, which carried over throughout for a season-high 22 turnovers.
“Can’t expect to win a game like that,” said Davis on the turnovers. “Terrible job at taking care of the basketball. That’s 22 plays we didn't get a shot at.”
The Timberwolves capitalized on the giveaways, scoring 27 points off L.A.’s turnovers.
The Lakers' previous season high in turnovers (21) was ironically in Minnesota in their last matchup against the Timberwolves on Dec. 2.
Season-low Shooting and Second Lowest Scoring Total
The Lakers' turnovers weren't the only outlier in the road loss, shooting a season-low 38% (32-for-84) from the field and their second worst six-for-31 (19%) shooting from three. A majority of which were open looks unable to knock down.
Austin Reaves felt that the team had good looks on offense in the fourth quarter, getting within five points, but just couldn't get them to fall. He added that the team competed at a high level to win but just didn't make enough shots to get there.
L.A.’s 87 total points were the second-lowest scoring total this season. In four of their last five losses—not reaching 100 points in those four—the Lakers have been outscored 441-353 (88 margin), showcasing their struggles with consistency as of late.
Return of Austin Reaves
Reaves returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a left pelvic contusion—and he returned a needed boost on the offensive end for L.A. despite moments of rust from his absence.
“I felt good. The first five minutes I was winded, but I felt really good. I was very happy to be back out there competing," Reaves said on his return.
Reaves hit multiple buckets in the second half that kept the Lakers alive, answering made shots from the Timberwolves that kept pushing their margin. Reaves finished with 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 29 minutes.
The Lakers’ next matchup is back at home at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday (6:30 p.m.) against the Memphis Grizzlies, who are red hot on a four-game win streak and winners of 10 of their last 11 games.