Lakers climb back to .500 in win over Timberwolves.
After coming off a huge 39 point win over the Trail Blazers, the Lakers climbed their way back to .500 in tonight's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 108–103 to improve their record to 19–19.
The Lakers’ victory came down to the wire late in the fourth quarter, with players Avery Bradley and Carmelo Anthony sinking clutch jumpers that helped secure a victory that saw LeBron at the center spot as the Lakers continued to run small-ball lineups.
After the win, head coach Frank Vogel spoke on the reason why he stuck with the small lineup through halftime explaining because he wants the Lakers to adapt to competing on the boards in their small units, saying: “If we’re gonna explore this style of play, we’re gonna have to learn how to deal with this.”
LeBron James led the way tonight, giving the Lakers another stellar performance with a game-high 26 points on 47% (7 for 15) shooting with 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 39 minutes of action.
After the win, James spoke on the Lakers' play as of late, saying: "We've been playing good basketball of late," later explaining they're "trending in the right direction" despite a few losses that they've suffered before winning 3 of the last 4.
Outside of his 9 total turnovers, Russell Westbrook had himself a solid outing for the Lakers, scoring 20 points (3rd highest) on 44% (7 for 16) shooting overall, adding 5 assists and 3 rebounds in his efforts.
Malik Monk's success has been one of the biggest reasons the Lakers have won 3 of the last 4 games, giving the team another energetic performance, scoring 22 points on 57% (8 for 14) shooting, knocking down four threes as he finished 4 for 9 from deep.
Carmelo Anthony gave the Lakers a solid boost in tonight's win, scoring 14 points off the bench on 50% (5 for 10) shooting overall, finishing with a game-high plus/minus of +11.
Head coach Frank Vogel credited the "basketball integrity" Melo has brought to the Lakers, with Melo later describing what that means to him, responding: "Yeah, Frank be using words like that."
The Lakers' next matchup comes at home in their second game of a four-game home stretch this Tuesday against the 15–22 Sacramento Kings.