Here is a by-the-numbers look at the Lakers’ 100-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
6
Assists for Wesley Johnson, which were the second-most in his career. Johnson had a strong all-around effort, pitching in 12 points on 3-for-7 shooting, including a 2-for-3 mark from 3-point range. The 2010 fourth-overall pick also swatted three shots against Minnesota, the team that drafted him.
13
Rebounds from Carlos Boozer, six of which were offensive. The first-year Laker also poured in a season-high 22 points to reach his second straight double-double and fourth of the season. Boozer was particularly crucial at the end of the game, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the fourth quarter.
Carlos Boozer Shot Chart
28
Points scored by Shabazz Muhammad. Like Zach LaVine two weeks ago, Minnesota had a reserve ignite for a career performance against L.A., as Muhammad racked up a personal-best 28 points on 12-for-21 shooting. The UCLA product was a monster down low, scoring 22 points in the paint and grabbing nine rebounds.
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Free throws made by the Lakers. L.A. knocked down 79.4 percent of their 34 free throw attempts, while Minnesota took just 20 foul shots, making 15. Kobe Bryant led all players at the line, going 10-for-13.
32,311
Points in Bryant’s career. With 5:24 remaining in the second quarter, Bryant knocked down a pair of free throws to pass Michael Jordan (32,292) for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The 19-year veteran finished with 26 points (7-for-20), including 10 in the game’s final 5:11.
“It’s a huge honor for me,” Bryant said. “It took so much work to get to this point. It’s unbelievable. Time has flown by.”
Said Ronnie Price: “You want to be able to cherish a win to put icing on top of the cake. (There) was nothing individually that I was gonna let happen on my end to lose that game. I told Kobe as soon as we got to the locker room, ‘We’ll do anything we have to do in order to win this game for you, man.’”