The Los Angeles Lakers got a massive 120-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. Anthony Davis dominated the paint, while the Timberwolves were slim in the center department. Karl-Anthony Towns missed his third straight game with a meniscus injury, and Rudy Gobert sat out after a hard-fought overtime game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday Night.
Anthony Davis Dominates As Reaves and LeBron Add to Highlight Reel
Anthony Davis came out hot in the first quarter, scoring 11 points, and tied his season high with four steals. The only other time in his career he did this was in November of 2019. Rui Hachimura also had a hot start, contributing 10 points in the first quarter, but cooled off, only scoring five more points the rest of the game. Austin Reaves added 19 points and some sweet highlight plays. Reaves had an impressive crossover combo that even got D’Angelo Russell, who had a quiet game with just 13 points and six assists, up and dancing in the second quarter.
Can't tell what's better: Austin's handles or DLo's reaction 🤣 pic.twitter.com/1630O2bFN4
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 11, 2024
Reaves also closed the game out with a dagger on a lucky, scrambled play late in the fourth. After a near turnover, LeBron dished it to Reaves, who hit a corner three to extend the Lakers’ lead to 16 points with under 6 minutes left. LeBron James scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half, along with eight rebounds and nine assists. With his 29-point performance against Minnesota, LeBron’s 10-point streak has extended to 1,208 games, which is absurdly longer than Shaquille O’Neal’s entire career of 1,207 games.
This Lakers sequence was crazy 😂
LeBron and Anthony Davis almost turn it over, AD hits a crazy pass to Bron, and Reaves nails the triple pic.twitter.com/MKEu0ojDT5
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) March 11, 2024
Anthony Davis had a monster night with 27 points, a season-high 25 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a career-high seven steals. He became the first player in NBA history to reach those numbers in a game. The nine-time All-Star had a season-high ten offensive rebounds, and Davis grabbed the most boards by a Laker since Dwight Howard’s 26-rebound game against Denver in January 2013.
Anthony Davis with a SPECIAL performance tonight in LA 👏
🔥 27 PTS
🔥 25 REB
🔥 7 STL
🔥 5 AST
🔥 3 BLKThe first player ever with 25+ PTS, 25+ REB and 5+ STL in a game. pic.twitter.com/IXx1RhEWWJ
— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2024
Anthony Davis said after the game about the Lakers’ recent success, “I think we’re hitting our stride right now. We’re just trying to keep going, keep pushing, knowing that just like last year, all we got to do is get in. We feel like it’s tough for anybody to beat us in a seven-game series. We like our chances against anybody at that point.”
Timberwolves Struggle as Anthony Edwards Calls Out Refs
Ant & LeBron trade slams! 🍿 pic.twitter.com/uu0zqHAGB6
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 11, 2024
Anthony Edwards exchanged dunks with LeBron, and as amazing of a miss one could have on his way to scoring 25 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost four of six and continue to fall in the standings since losing Karl-Anthony Towns. Naz Reid, in place of the injured stars, also scored 25 points and hit five 3-pointers in his first start of the season with Minnesota, which, as a team, only made 16 of its season-high 46 3-point attempts.
IF ANTHONY EDWARDS MADE THIS. 🤯
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 11, 2024
After the game, Anthony Edwards didn’t hesitate when asked about the Lakers shooting 29 free throws to the Timberwolves’ 13, saying, “It’s tough. It’s tough every night when we don’t get to the free-throw line as much as the other team. When one player shoots more free throws than your entire team, it’s tough. It’s tough to compete. You want to compete, and if every time they get the ball, we so-called foul them, and they get to the free throw line. It’s tough. I don’t know how to explain it, man.”
Anthony Edwards on the Lakers shooting 29 free throws to the Timberwolves' 13
(via @michaelcorvo_)
— Mave Sports (@mave_sports007) March 11, 2024
The Lakers are now 36-30, six games above .500 for the first time since May 16th, 2021, when the team was 42-30 nearly three years ago and before Russell Westbrook was traded to Los Angeles. The Lakers have been on a good run, closing out the week by beating the 2nd seed in the West after beating the number one-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday and the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, on Friday. With the solid run over the past week, Los Angeles is one game behind the Dallas Mavericks for the 8th seed and two games behind the 6th-seeded Phoenix Suns in the West. The Lakers will get a nice break before they head to Sacramento on Wednesday, March 13th, looking to avenge their only loss this past week against the 7th-seeded Kings.
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