Game ID: 22301143
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Los Angeles Lakers
Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 37 27 28 25 117MIN 33 46 23 25 127
LAL vs MIN ScoutingLAL vs MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 24 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 46 since 12/21, returns tonight: 14 min (78% of 18)
OUT Wood missed 18 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 3/22 after 4, 14 min since (71% of 20)
NEW Davis 36 to 42 min over the last 4
NEW Russell 33 to 38 min over the last 4
NEW Reaves 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Dinwiddie 23 to 29 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/02 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 25 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 19 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Vincent back 3/31 after 46, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Davis 36 to 41 min over the last 4
NEW Reaves 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Hachimura 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Dinwiddie 23 to 29 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/03 · back-to-backOUT Vanderbilt missed 26 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 20 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Vincent back 3/31 after 46, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Hachimura 27 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Hayes 12 to 19 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 4/06 · 2 days' restOUT Reddish missed 2 since 4/02, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 27 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 21 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Vincent back 3/31 after 46, 14 min since (79% of 18)
NEW Hayes 12 to 17 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 4/07 · back-to-backOUT Reddish missed 3 since 4/02, returns tonight: 14 min (67% of 20)
OUT Vanderbilt missed 28 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 22 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Vincent back 3/31 after 46, 14 min since (79% of 18)
LAL availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 29 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 23 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 4/07 after 3, 14 min since (67% of 20)
BACK Vincent back 3/31 after 46, 14 min since (79% of 18)
NEW Hayes 12 to 18 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 4/12 · 2 days' restOUT Vanderbilt missed 30 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 24 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 4/07 after 3, 12 min since (57% of 20)
NEW Hayes 12 to 20 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restOUT Vanderbilt missed 31 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 25 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 4/07 after 3, 12 min since (57% of 20)
NEW Hayes 12 to 18 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 4/20 · 5 days' restOUT Reddish missed 2 since 4/12, not on tonight's roster
OUT Vanderbilt missed 32 since 2/03, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 26 since 2/22, out tonight
NEW Hayes 12 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 11 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Gobert back 3/22 after 3, 36 min since (105% of 34)
NEW Reid 24 to 30 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 4/02 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 12 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Gobert back 3/22 after 3, 36 min since (106% of 34)
NEW Reid 24 to 30 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/03 · back-to-backOUT Towns missed 13 since 3/07, out tonight
NEW Reid 24 to 31 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 14 since 3/07, out tonight
NEW Reid 24 to 31 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 15 since 3/07, out tonight
NEW Reid 24 to 31 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 16 since 3/07, out tonight
NEW Reid 24 to 32 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backOUT Towns missed 17 since 3/07, out tonight
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 17 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 18 since 3/07, returns tonight: 28 min (84% of 33)
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 16 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restBACK Towns back 4/12 after 18, 28 min since (84% of 33)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; James at 26 and Davis at 25 a game. That is 4 straight wins. They have won the glass by 6 a night. Without Reddish (3 straight), Vanderbilt (28 straight), Wood (22 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 99, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Edwards at 23 and Reid at 15 a game. Without Towns (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-6 a night and Minnesota minus-3 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 99 a night to the Lakers' 108. Call it Minnesota 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
3/31 @ BKN 116-104 — LAL notes
LAL won 116-104. LAL shot 55% (42 of 77) to BKN's 42%, 15 of 40 from three. LAL turned it over 19 times to BKN's 12, and BKN turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 50-38 for them. James led with 40 (13 of 17, 9 of 10 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Davis added 24, Hachimura 20. The hinge was Q1, 31-11: from level to 20 ahead, and the lead reached 26. Reaves was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
4/02 @ TOR 128-111 — LAL notes
LAL won 128-111. LAL shot 51% (52 of 101) to TOR's 48%, 18 of 41 from three, and got to the line 12 times to TOR's 21. Russell led with 25 (9 of 17, 7 of 14 from three); James added 23, Davis 21. The hinge was Q3, 36-21: a lead of 6 became 21, and the lead reached 33. Russell was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/03 @ WAS 125-120 — LAL notes
LAL won 125-120. LAL shot 51% (46 of 91) to WAS's 49%, 8 of 28 from three, and went to the line 29 times to WAS's 13 — 25 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 49-39 for them. Davis led with 35 (10 of 17, 15 of 15 at the line); James added 25, Hachimura 19. The hinge was Q1, 39-29: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Davis was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
4/06 vs CLE 116-97 — LAL notes
LAL won 116-97. LAL shot 56% (45 of 80) to CLE's 43%, 16 of 37 from three. Russell led with 28 (11 of 17, 6 of 12 from three); James added 24, Davis 22. The hinge was Q4, 26-19: a lead of 12 became 19. Prince was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
4/07 vs MIN 117-127 — LAL notes
LAL lost 117-127. LAL shot 46% (39 of 84) to MIN's 52%, 11 of 31 from three, and went to the line 32 times to MIN's 14 — 28 points from the stripe to their 12. Hachimura led with 30 (11 of 17, 4 of 5 from three); Hayes added 19, Dinwiddie 18. Q3 was theirs, 28-23, the deficit cut from 15 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 104-89 against them. Prince's -22 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/09 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 28 and Davis at 21 a game. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Vanderbilt (29 straight), Wood (23 straight). One day's rest. Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 14 free throws a game; Curry at 26 and Thompson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Wiggins (2 straight), Šarić (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 22 free throws a game to Golden State's 14. Call it the Lakers 117, Golden State 114, Golden State keeping it close.
4/12 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 104, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 17 free throws a game; LaRavia at 18 and Jackson at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Aldama (5 straight), Kennard (4 straight), Williams (19 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; James at 26 and Davis at 20 a game. Without Vanderbilt (30 straight), Wood (24 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Memphis allowing 104 a night to the Lakers' 118 and the arc, the Lakers at 38 percent from three to Memphis's 32. Call it the Lakers 113, Memphis 111, Memphis keeping it close.
4/14 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; McCollum at 30 and Williamson at 27 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Ingram (12 straight), Nance Jr. (2 straight), Hawkins (2 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 30 and Davis at 24 a game. Without Vanderbilt (31 straight), Wood (25 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 43 percent from three to the Lakers' 36 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 110 a night to the Lakers' 120. Call it New Orleans 118, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
4/20 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 109, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 25 and Murray at 24 a game. 5 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; James at 30 and Davis at 23 a game. Without Reddish (2 straight), Vanderbilt (32 straight), Wood (26 straight). 5 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 25 free throws a game to Denver's 17 and the defense, Denver allowing 109 a night to the Lakers' 117. Call it Denver 119, the Lakers 113.
3/31 vs CHI 101-109 — MIN notes
MIN lost 101-109. MIN shot 47% (38 of 81) to CHI's 52%, 11 of 37 from three, and went to the line 21 times to CHI's 12 — 14 points from the stripe to their 8. Edwards led with 22 (9 of 20, 0 of 5 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Gobert added 19, Conley 19. Q3 was theirs, 25-20, the deficit cut from 10 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 89-76 against them. Anderson's -12 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/02 vs HOU 113-106 — MIN notes
MIN won 113-106. MIN shot 53% (41 of 77) to HOU's 45%, 11 of 26 from three, and went to the line 22 times to HOU's 14 — 20 points from the stripe to their 10. Reid led with 25 (10 of 17, 3 of 5 from three); Edwards added 21, Conley 14. The hinge was Q2, 38-22: MIN came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 15. McLaughlin was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/03 vs TOR 133-85 — MIN notes
MIN won 133-85. MIN shot 51% (49 of 96) to TOR's 37%, 20 of 43 from three, and went to the line 22 times to TOR's 14 — 15 points from the stripe to their 12. MIN turned it over 9 times to TOR's 20. Edwards led with 28 (10 of 23, 5 of 12 from three); Reid added 23, Garza 16. The hinge was Q4, 42-25: a lead of 31 became 48. Gobert was the night's best plus/minus at +33.
4/05 @ PHX 87-97 — MIN notes
MIN lost 87-97. MIN took 9 more shots (85 to 76), but shot 39% to PHX's 43%, 10 of 29 from three, and got to the line 14 times to PHX's 29. Edwards led with 17 (6 of 19, 2 of 6 from three); Alexander-Walker added 13. Q4 was theirs, 26-20, the deficit cut from 16 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 77-61 against them. Conley's -27 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/07 @ LAL 127-117 — MIN notes
MIN won 127-117. MIN shot 52% (50 of 97) to LAL's 46%, 15 of 39 from three, and got to the line 14 times to LAL's 32. Reid led with 31 (12 of 16, 6 of 8 from three); Edwards added 26, Gobert 18. The hinge was Q2, 46-27: MIN came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 15, and the lead reached 20. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
4/09 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Edwards at 23 and Reid at 20 a game. Without Towns (16 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Poole at 23 and Avdija at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Jones (13 straight), Holmes (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 103 a night to Washington's 119 and the arc, Minnesota at 39 percent from three to Washington's 31. Call it Minnesota 118, Washington 108, Minnesota by 10.
4/10 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 16 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Gordon at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Gordon (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Reid at 18 a game. Without Towns (17 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Minnesota plus-1. Call it Denver 112, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
4/12 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 107, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Reid at 16 a game. Without Towns (18 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Murray at 21 and Hunter at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 42 percent from three to Atlanta's 33 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 107 a night to Atlanta's 119. Call it Minnesota 119, Atlanta 109, Minnesota by 10.
4/14 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Gobert at 16 a game. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Beal at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 104 a night to Minnesota's 111. Call it Minnesota 112, Phoenix 108, Phoenix keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CC C. Castleton
CR C. Reddish
DR D. Russell
JH J. Hayes
MC M. Christie
ML M. Lewis
RH R. Hachimura
SD S. Dinwiddie
SM S. Mays
TP T. Prince
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
JM J. Minott
KA K. Anderson
LG L. Garza
LM L. Miller
MC M. Conley
MM M. Morris
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
WM W. Moore Jr.
LAL/MIN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Reid gets 31, Timberwolves jump on Lakers 127-117 in the absence of LeBron James, Anthony Davis
LOS ANGELES -- — Naz Reid hit six 3-pointers while scoring 31 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves capitalized on LeBron James ' absence and Anthony Davis ' early exit with an eye injury for a 127-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
Anthony Edwards added 26 points for the Timberwolves, who moved even with Denver atop the Western Conference at 54-24 with their seventh win in nine games. Minnesota didn't waste its golden opportunity to beat the surging Lakers, who played most of the night without their two superstars.
James stayed home with flu-like symptoms, missing his 11th game of his 21st NBA season. Davis then went to the locker room after getting hit in the face by Kyle Anderson while scoring a tip-in basket late in the first quarter.
The nine-time All-Star didn't return to the game, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham had no postgame update on his condition. Davis took another blow to his left eye, which already was injured from a hit taken last month in a game against Golden State.
“Obviously, we caught a break there,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Minnesota blew open a tight game without Davis patrolling the middle, putting up a 46-point second quarter. Los Angeles' supporting cast kept it close in the third, but Rudy Gobert scored six of his 18 points in the fourth quarter while Minnesota comfortably held on. Gobert also had 16 rebounds.
“Offensively, we were playing the right way,” said Nickeil Alexander-Walker , who scored 15 points. “Things just opened up because their defense was lacking length, and I think for us, we just kept making the right play. Coming down the stretch, Naz was making big plays. Ant was making the right read. All the talent we have was just able to come through and make shots, make plays.”
With an opportunity to be the No. 1 seed in the West for only the second time in franchise history, Minnesota rebounded from its worst offensive performance of the season in Phoenix last Friday. The Wolves and the defending NBA champion Nuggets meet in Denver on Wednesday, with Minnesota traveling to the second game of a back-to-back.
“I think all year it’s been a goal for us,” Reid said of the No. 1 seed. ”That’s something that we hunger for, and we talk about it all the time. Obviously we want the standings to be in our favor, so we’ve got to go out and make it in our favor.”
Rui Hachimura scored 30 points for the Lakers, whose four-game winning streak ended with only their second loss in 11 games. Los Angeles also fell right back into ninth place in the ultracompetitive West after finally moving up to eighth on Saturday for the first time since late December.
“It's tough already being without Bron, and then seeing (Davis) go out, it's tough,” Ham said. “But my hat is off to our guys. They didn't feel sorry for themselves. They kept competing all the way through. Just had some unfortunate possessions offensively. Guys not having their legs up under them (after) an 11-day road trip (with) six games, come back home and have a 12:30 game Saturday.”
Backup big man Jaxson Hayes had a season-high 19 points and 10 assists while playing 33 minutes in Davis’ absence, and Spencer Dinwiddie added 18 points and seven assists for the Lakers. D'Angelo Russell struggled when Los Angeles needed a huge game from its No. 3 option, missing 14 of his 19 shots to finish with 15 points and 11 assists.
Minnesota quickly broke open a close game after Davis left, streaking to a 79-64 halftime lead with Reid scoring 18 points in the second quarter. Reid, who also grabbed 11 rebounds, racked up 46 combined points in the Wolves’ two previous meetings with the Lakers.
“I just stand out in the lights,” Reid said with a grin. “I'm sorry. I don't know. I just go out there and compete, and it just happened to be on TV.”
Along with James, the Lakers held out backup point guard Gabe Vincent , who only returned from a lengthy injury absence four games ago.