Here is a by-the-numbers look at the Lakers’ 120-119 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
5
Lakers who scored 15 points or more. Kobe Bryant led the way with 26 points, while also picking up five steals. Jeremy Lin recorded his second double-double of the year with 18 points and a season-high 11 assists. Wesley Johnson poured in 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while Nick Young and Carlos Boozer pitched in 16 and 15 points, respectively.
5.6
Seconds left when Bryant hit a game-tying buzzer-beater. Trailing 119-117, Bryant drained an eight-foot fadeaway to knot the game up. However, 2.8 seconds later, Nick Young fouled Thaddeus Young, who went 1-for-2 at the free throw line. Bryant then missed the subsequent game-winning buzzer-beater.
8
The Lakers’ lead with five minutes remaining. The Timberwolves blitzed L.A. from there, outscoring the Lakers 13-4 the rest of the way. Mo Williams led the way with eight of those points on two 3-pointers and a layup.
“Things we talked about doing defensively, we just didn’t do,” head coach Byron Scott said. “Defense was our main issue. Lack of focus was terrible. We talked about what we had to change at halftime. We came out and they ran their play three times. We had to call timeout and remind the players what we were doing. We acted like we never said it before.���
28
Points scored by Zach LaVine. The rookie shattered his previous career-high of 13 points by going 11-for-14 from the field. The UCLA product also surpassed his college career-best (21) by finishing with more points than minutes played (25).
63.2
Percentage shot by Minnesota in the second half. The Timberwolves went 24-for-38 from the field, including 6-for-8 from 3-point range. They also punished the Lakers for fouling by hitting 12 of their 13 second-half free throws.
“I felt like they were scoring too easily,” Lin said. “We have to defend better, me included, everybody. We have to make an impact and really attack them defensively. We didn’t do a good job of that, and we made it too easy for them. And when you make it too easy, you never know what’s going to happen because they can get hot.”