Minnesota banks on stellar defensive performance to thwart the Lakers

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Minnesota Timberwolves are starting to regain their groove in the ongoing NBA regular season after dominating the Los Angeles Lakers, 109-80, on December 3, 2024.

From the opening tip-off, the Timberwolves just imposed their will on the struggling Lakers squad and won all four quarters capped off by a game-sealing 30-16 run in the fourth.

After holding the Los Angeles Clippers to just 92 points in their last game, the Timberwolves displayed a better defensive outing after limiting the Lakers to 80 points, one of their worst-scoring performances in the NBA during the past five years.

Minnesota tallied a total of 11 steals and two blocks which were converted to 26 points off turnovers. With the disruptive unit that the Timberwolves fielded for four straight frames, the Lakers failed to execute their offense and struggled to generate a clean shot all game long.

Aside from their defensive identity, the Timberwolves also had a new green mark on their checklist after scoring a total of 20 fast break points.

During their past post-game interview, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch emphasized that he wants his team to push the pace and rely on their quickness advantage in every mismatch.

That was running perfectly as Julius Randle, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, and Anthony Edwards went off to the races after every board grabbed by Rudy Gobert.

On the other hand, the Lakers received a quiet performance from their superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis as they only combined for 22 points, 10 and 12 markers, respectively.

The Minnesota defense did a pretty good job in limiting their looks and forced them to throw the emergency kick-out passes as the time ran down their shot clock.

Randle led the Minnesota rally with a game-high 18-point outing derived from a 2/3 shooting from the three-point line and a perfect 4/4 from the charity stripe.

The new member of the Timberwolves franchise also stuffed the stat sheets and amassed five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert ended the night with a dominant double-double performance of 17 markers and 12 rebounds.

Despite Edwards’ eight-point tally, the trio of Walker, DiVincenzo, and Conley stepped up for the backcourt rotation and provided 15, 11, and nine points, respectively.

The Timberwolves will look to sustain their momentum and gun for their third consecutive win on December 5, 2024, against the Clippers while the Lakers aim to re-enter the NBA winning column on the same date against the Miami Heat.