MINNEAPOLIS _ The Timberwolves entered Sunday with an opportunity to make a move in the Western Conference standings. At Target Center were the depleted Lakers, who were the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference as they try to get by with LeBron James recovering from a groin injury.
They held a three-game lead on the Wolves, but the Wolves took advantage of the opportunity to close the gap Sunday with a 108-86 win.
It was Andrew Wiggins who helped the Wolves garner a sizable lead in the first half with 25 of his 28 points and it was Karl-Anthony Towns who made sure they kept it in the second half, as he filled the stat sheet with 28 points, 18 rebounds and three assists. Jeff Teague added 15 points and 11 assists.
The Lakers were missing a few other contributors in addition to James, including Rajon Rondo and Kyle Kuzma. The Wolves were shorthanded themselves without Derrick Rose and Robert Covington, but were able to rely on Jeff Teague and Wiggins to get the lead early and never relinquish it.
The Wolves took control of the game from the start thanks to Teague, who continued his strong play from Friday night. Teague hit a pair of 3-pointers while Wiggins hit another as the Wolves took a 13-1 lead, prompting a timeout from Lakers coach Luke Walton.
The Wolves defense also did what it needed to against an offensively-challenged Lakers team without James. The Lakers didn't score their 10th point in the quarter until there were 3 minutes, 51 seconds remaining. Wiggins finished with 14 points in the quarter while Teague added 10 and the Wolves carried a 35-19 lead into the second quarter.
The Lakers were able to get more of an offensive rhythm going in the second, specifically Brandon Ingram, who had 13 points in the quarter. The Lakers tried to get physical with Towns in the post and a few exchanges between Michael Beasley and Towns resulted in a double technical for both after Beasley began jawing with Towns as Beasley exited the game. The Lakers were able to cut the Wolves lead to 12 multiple times late in the quarter, but each time they did, the Wolves responded _ and it was usually Wiggins providing the points. He hit a pair of free throws to put Minnesota back up 14 with 2:10 to play, then closed out the half with five consecutive points to give the Wolves a 64-45 lead headed into halftime.
Towns came out and asserted himself after the break, sending in a thunderous put-back dunk and hitting a 20-foot jumper to give the Wolves the first four points of the second half.
The Lakers just didn't have the offensive weapons to keep up with the Wolves, who hovered are 50 percent shooting most of the night. Ingram was able to score points, but he did it at an inefficient clip (5 for 16). The Wolves also converted 21 Lakers turnovers into 23 points.
The Wolves led 83-68 headed into the fourth after leading by as much as 23 in the third. They would top that with five minutes through the fourth, when Towns and Taj Gibson took over in the post to bury the Lakers. There was a concerning moment for the Wolves when Towns hit the floor hard after a dunk attempt with 7:38 remaining He stayed one the ground for a few moments before getting up and staying in the game.
But other than that, it was a stress-free day at Target Center.
