Game ID: 22300443
Los Angeles Lakers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 29 32 21 26 108LAL 31 26 20 29 106
LAL @ MIN ScoutingLAL @ 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.
MIN availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backBACK McDaniels back 12/11 after 8, 27 min since (91% of 30)
BACK McLaughlin back 12/11 after 15, 4 min since (37% of 11)
MIN availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's rest
full strength
MIN availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restNEW McDaniels 30 to 35 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Milton missed 2 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT McLaughlin missed 2 since 12/28, returns tonight: 12 min (109% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Milton missed 3 since 12/28, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 12 min since (109% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (25% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (137% of 11)
MIN availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restBACK Milton back 1/03 after 3, 3 min since (26% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 1/01 after 2, 14 min since (131% of 11)
LAL availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backBACK Vincent back 12/20 after 23, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 26 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restBACK Vincent back 12/20 after 23, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 29 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Christie missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 30 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/28 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 3 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Wood missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 23 min (134% of 17)
OUT Christie missed 3 since 12/21, returns tonight: 24 min (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 28 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 4 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 23 min since (134% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 24 min since (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 28 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 12/31 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 5 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 18 min since (105% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 24 min since (172% of 14)
NEW Prince 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 26 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 1/03 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 6 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 21 min since (118% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 27 min since (190% of 14)
LAL availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Russell missed 2 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 7 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 22 min since (124% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 27 min since (194% of 14)
LAL availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Russell missed 3 since 12/31, returns tonight: 31 min (94% of 33)
OUT Hachimura missed 2 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 8 since 12/21, out tonight
BACK Wood back 12/28 after 2, 20 min since (118% of 17)
BACK Christie back 12/28 after 3, 26 min since (181% of 14)
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 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Towns at 18 a game. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 24 a game. Without Vincent (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 17 times a game to the Lakers' 12 and the line, where Minnesota takes 26 free throws a game to the Lakers' 19. Call it Minnesota 116, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/21 vs LAL 118-111 — MIN notes
MIN won 118-111. MIN shot 48% (42 of 87) to LAL's 49%, 14 of 36 from three. Edwards led with 27 (9 of 19, 2 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Towns added 21, Conley 16. The hinge was Q1, 36-32: from level to 4 ahead. Towns was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/23 @ SAC 110-98 — MIN notes
MIN won 110-98. MIN shot 51% (44 of 87) to SAC's 44%, 10 of 33 from three, and got to the line 14 times to SAC's 21. Edwards led with 34 (13 of 27, 3 of 12 from three); Gobert added 21, McDaniels 20. The hinge was Q1, 28-20: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
12/26 @ OKC 106-129 — MIN notes
MIN lost 106-129. MIN shot 47% (34 of 73) to OKC's 60%, 12 of 27 from three, and went to the line 32 times to OKC's 16 — 26 points from the stripe to their 13. MIN turned it over 21 times to OKC's 11, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. Edwards led with 25 (7 of 16, 2 of 5 from three, 9 of 13 at the line); Conley added 17, Towns 16. Q2 was theirs, 25-26, but the other 3 periods went 103-81 against them. Edwards's -16 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/28 vs DAL 118-110 — MIN notes
MIN won 118-110. MIN shot 51% (38 of 74) to DAL's 44%, 17 of 33 from three, and went to the line 34 times to DAL's 19 — 25 points from the stripe to their 16. MIN turned it over 22 times to DAL's 16, and DAL turned those into 9 steals. Edwards led with 44 (12 of 23, 6 of 11 from three, 14 of 18 at the line); Gobert added 20, McDaniels 12. The hinge was Q1, 37-26: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Conley was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/30 vs LAL 108-106 — MIN notes
MIN won 108-106. MIN shot 50% (38 of 76) to LAL's 42%, 12 of 34 from three, and got to the line 24 times to LAL's 32. MIN turned it over 19 times to LAL's 10, and LAL turned those into 12 steals. Edwards led with 31 (10 of 23, 2 of 8 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Reid added 21, Conley 15. The hinge was Q2, 32-26: MIN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 4. Gobert was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
1/01 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 128, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 28 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Robinson (11 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Gobert at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 111 a night to New York's 128 and the arc, Minnesota at 40 percent from three to New York's 35. Call it Minnesota 116, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
1/03 vs NOP — 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 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 34 and Towns at 16 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Williamson at 22 and Ingram at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Murphy III (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 104 a night to Minnesota's 111 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 17 times a game to New Orleans's 14. Call it Minnesota 112, New Orleans 110, New Orleans keeping it close.
1/05 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Sengun at 28 and VanVleet at 19 a game. Without Brooks (4 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 29 free throws a game; Edwards at 34 and Towns at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 12 and the line, where Minnesota takes 29 free throws a game to Houston's 23. Call it Houston 115, Minnesota 112, Minnesota keeping it close.
1/07 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Dončić at 33 and Irving at 22 a game. Without Kleber (28 straight), Exum (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 34 and Towns at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where Minnesota takes 27 free throws a game to Dallas's 21. Call it Dallas 115, Minnesota 112, Minnesota keeping it close.
12/21 @ MIN 111-118 — LAL notes
LAL lost 111-118. LAL shot 49% (41 of 83) to MIN's 48%, 10 of 24 from three. Davis led with 31 (11 of 20, 8 of 9 at the line); Reaves added 20, Hachimura 18. Q2 was theirs, 27-27, but the other 3 periods went 91-84 against them. Reaves's -9 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 @ OKC 129-120 — LAL notes
LAL won 129-120. LAL shot 52% (47 of 90) to OKC's 48%, 16 of 32 from three. James led with 40 (13 of 20, 5 of 5 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Davis added 26, Hachimura 21. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: LAL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 26. Reddish was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/25 vs BOS 115-126 — LAL notes
LAL lost 115-126. LAL shot 48% (43 of 90) to BOS's 51%, 13 of 32 from three, and got to the line 21 times to BOS's 28. Davis led with 40 (15 of 26, 2 of 4 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Prince added 17, James 16. Q2 was theirs, 34-26, the deficit cut from 9 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 100-81 against them. Prince's -12 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/28 vs CHA 133-112 — LAL notes
LAL won 133-112. LAL shot 54% (52 of 97) to CHA's 47%, 15 of 30 from three, and got to the line 14 times to CHA's 28. LAL turned it over 11 times to CHA's 19. Davis led with 26 (11 of 19); Hachimura added 17, James 17. The hinge was Q3, 41-23: a lead of 1 became 19, and the lead reached 28. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
12/30 @ MIN 106-108 — LAL notes
LAL lost 106-108. LAL took 12 more shots (88 to 76), but shot 42% to MIN's 50%, 7 of 24 from three, and went to the line 32 times to MIN's 24 — 25 points from the stripe to their 20. LAL turned it over 10 times to MIN's 19. Davis led with 33 (12 of 17, 8 of 10 at the line); James added 26. Q4 was theirs, 29-26, the deficit cut from 5 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 82-77 against them. They led by as many as 11.
12/31 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 21 a game. Without Hawkins (3 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 31 and James at 25 a game. Without Vincent (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 36 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 109 a night to the Lakers' 117. Call it New Orleans 117, the Lakers 112.
1/03 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 27 a game. Without Vincent (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Herro at 23 and Adebayo at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Martin (3 straight), Richardson (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Miami has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the line, where Miami takes 31 free throws a game to the Lakers' 23. Call it the Lakers 116, Miami 114, Miami keeping it close.
1/05 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Russell (2 straight), Vincent (7 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 119, shooting 42 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Morant at 22 and Bane at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Jackson (9 straight), LaRavia (9 straight), Gilyard (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been minus-2 a night and Memphis minus-12. Call it the Lakers 116, Memphis 109.
1/07 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Russell (3 straight), Hachimura (2 straight), Vincent (8 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 106, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 24 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have won the glass by 7 a night. Without Tucker (18 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-7 a night and the Lakers minus-3 and the arc, the Clippers at 42 percent from three to the Lakers' 32. Call it the Clippers 116, the Lakers 112, the Lakers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CR C. Reddish
CW C. Wood
DR D. Russell
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
RH R. Hachimura
TP T. Prince
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
KA K. Anderson
KT K. Towns
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
TB T. Brown 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
Edwards scores 31, Timberwolves hold on to beat the Lakers 108-106 on LeBron's 39th birthday
MINNEAPOLIS -- — LeBron James woke up sick on his 39th birthday, unsure if he'd be able to help the Los Angeles Lakers in their road game Saturday night against the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves .
James played and, as he's done throughout his career, hit a big shot in the closing seconds. Unfortunately for the Lakers, the NBA's replay center ruled the long jumper with 3.3 seconds left was just a 2-pointer, leaving James to question the replay ruling on his birthday.
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Naz Reid added 21 off the bench and Minnesota held on to beat Los Angeles 108-106 Saturday night.
Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 13 rebounds as Minnesota overcame 19 turnovers to win for the fourth time in five games. Two of those wins have come against Los Angeles and the Timberwolves are now 14-1 at home this season.
“It was the same story that we talked about before the game,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “We shoot 50%, (have) 19 turnovers. Whenever we didn’t turn it over, we got pretty decent looks. Sometimes the switching bothered us a little bit, but I thought we moved it really well, and just turnovers continue to plague us.”
Edwards scored 11 points in the fourth, hitting a pair of 3-pointers after the Lakers had closed within one each time. Mike Conley 's 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining gave Minnesota a 107-100 lead.
Los Angeles had a closing push led by James, whose long jumper with 3.3 seconds left was ruled a 2-pointer and confirmed by replay, leaving the Wolves up 107-106.
“It’s obviously a 3,” James said. "My foot is behind the line. I mean, you can see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. You can clearly see a white, the wood on the floor. There’s a space in between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. So, you know, Stevie Wonder can see that, champ.”
James later added: “It’s super frustrating in the sense of what the hell we got a replay for? What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong?"
Edwards hit one of two free throws and James' attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.
“I had no clue,” Edwards said. "I was ready to hit the game-winner, for real. I was ready for Finchy to draw up a play for me. I was ready for that, I didn’t even know it was a 2 until everybody was saying it.”
Anthony Davis had 33 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists for Los Angeles, which has lost seven of 10 since winning the In-Season Tournament. James, who was questionable for the game with a non-COVID-19 illness, added 26 points.
The Lakers scored 19 points off Minnesota turnovers but shot just 42% from the field and were 7 of 24 from 3.
“We had some guys that had some great looks, looks they normally knock down that they didn't knock down,” Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham said.
In the fourth game with their bigger starting lineup, the Lakers hounded Minnesota early with Davis the focal point on both ends. Los Angeles led by as many as 11 in the first quarter, while Davis had 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the first.
The Wolves’ shooting eventually brought them back with a spark off the bench from Reid. With Karl-Anthony Towns struggling, the third of Minnesota’s big men answered with a pair of 3-pointers before going to the basket for his points.
“Once again, he saves us,” Edwards said of Reid. “So yeah, it’s always strength in numbers or whatever you wanna call it.”
UP NEXT
Lakers: Finish a back-to-back Sunday afternoon at New Orleans.