Lakers and Timberwolves clash during a crucial playoff moment.
Already poised to secure a top-four seed in the upcoming playoffs and aiming for the Western Conference’s number one seed for only the second time in franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves must quickly move past their recent struggles as they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The Timberwolves (53-24) head into Sunday’s matchup fresh off their poorest offensive performance of the season, suffering a 97-87 defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Friday after trailing 15-0 at the start of the game. They committed 14 of their 19 turnovers in the first half. “It’s becoming somewhat of a pattern for us, high turnovers in the first quarter,” remarked Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch. “That’s been affecting our ability to score early in games. We were playing catch-up throughout…It was a complete offensive breakdown.” Despite their recent struggles, the Timberwolves remain just half a game behind the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the Western Conference. They have shown resilience with a commendable 10-5 record in the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns, who is nearing a return from a left meniscus tear. However, Towns’ absence was glaringly felt against the Suns as the Timberwolves struggled to find their shooting rhythm, managing only 38.8 percent from the field, including a dismal 36.1 percent in the first half and 33.3 percent in the opening quarter. Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards struggled with his shooting, going 6-of-19 from the field despite scoring 17 points. Naz Reid, who has started 11 of the 15 games Towns missed, contributed eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. “It felt like everything we did, even when it seemed positive, turned out negative,” quipped Minnesota guard Mike Conley after scoring five points on 1-of-6 shooting with three turnovers. The Lakers (45-33), on the other hand, secured at least a spot in the play-in tournament despite not playing on Friday, thanks to the Houston Rockets’ loss to the Miami Heat. They extended their winning streak to four games on Saturday with a convincing 116-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. De’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 28 points, while LeBron James (24 points, 12 assists) and Anthony Davis (22 points, 13 rebounds) continued to spearhead their charge. With four wins in a row and victories in nine of their last ten games, the Lakers have climbed to eighth place in the Western Conference, trailing the seventh-place New Orleans Pelicans by just half a game. This marks the first time the Lakers have occupied eighth place since December 29. “We understand the situation we’re in and what we can accomplish with four games left,” said Davis. “So, we just need to keep building, maintain our focus on one game at a time, and continue our defensive efforts.” Sunday’s game comes less than a month after the Lakers secured a 120-109 victory over the Timberwolves on March 10, winning for the first time in three meetings during the season series. Davis dominated in that matchup with 27 points and 25 rebounds, while Minnesota was without both Towns and Rudy Gobert.
