MINNEAPOLIS _ When LeBron James attempted to drive on Karl-Anthony Towns during the first quarter Monday, Towns blocked the shot as if it was a troll on Twitter.
He then flexed and yelled for the crowd, veins bulging everywhere.
A few moments later, after Towns stole the ball off a James pass, Jeff Teague hit him for a dunk in transition. The veins in his neck and arms bulged to the point of popping out of his skin on this subsequent flex for the crowd.
The Wolves who showed up for Monday's game against LeBron James and the Lakers weren't the same lackadaisical bunch that let the Bucks run all over them Friday, nor was it the same disengaged Towns.
After that loss, coach Tom Thibodeau spoke of needing to avoid the human tendency of having the drama around Jimmy Butler's trade request seep onto the floor. For a night, it seemed the Wolves played free of distraction _ and the distraction was the catalyst. The Wolves defeated the Lakers 124-120 behind a superb fourth quarter from Butler, who had five 3-pointers, including the proverbial dagger to put the Wolves up five with 18.8 seconds remaining. Butler finished with 32 points on an efficient 12-for-20 shooting while Towns had perhaps his best game of the young season with 25 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.
The Wolves had a 119-109 lead in the fourth quarter but saw that lead dwindle to 119-117 with 1:18 to play before Butler's final 3-pointer of the night helped the Wolves stave off a comeback as James led the Lakers with 29 points.
If you liked breakneck, fast-paced basketball, Monday was for you. The Wolves and Lakers entered as two of the fastest-tempo teams in the league and they seemed to play at hyper speed at times. Each scored at will _ and quickly _ from the opening tip.
The Wolves played again without Andrew Wiggins, who missed his third consecutive game because of a right quad contusion, but with rookie Josh Okogie making another start, they didn't lose a step on the Lakers.
Towns' dunk gave the Wolves a 16-9 lead and got the Target Center crowd, sold out with James in town, whipped up in a frenzy early.
But the Lakers wouldn't get run out of the gym, mostly because they can run. It wasn't James who kept them in the game early, but rather youngsters Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, who combined for 33 first-half points on 13 of 22 shooting. James, meanwhile, seemed to be biding his time and conserving energy, as he is wont to do as he ages. His defensive assignment included guarding Okogie, the Wolves' weakest offensive player among the starting group, and he struggled early from the floor, only going 3-for-9 for 10 points in the first 24 minutes. But James did add six assists to give the Lakers a 66-64 lead at the half.
After struggling on the offensive end of the floor in his minutes playing for Wiggins, Okogie wasn't a liability on that end of the floor. He shot 5 of 9 in the first half for 13 points. He finished 6 of 13 for 17 points while adding his expected hustle and defense to the Wolves' lineup. This came after Okogie shot just 6-for-24 in his last two games.
At one point during the second half, he blocked a shot from Ingram then sprinted down the floor to receive an outlet pass from Towns for an easy dunk.
Towns looked like his old self, scrapping for rebounds and getting points inside and out.
Okogie and Towns both kept the Wolves around in the third as James ramped up his play with nine points in the quarter.
After Towns secured his final rebound of the night and headed to the free throw line, he and Butler exchanged a quick high-five as the crowd around them cheered. There wasn't much emotion in the exchange, but they created a lot of good feelings Monday.
