Lakers take on Timberwolves without LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers (13-11) are currently the 8th seed in the Western Conference standings.
They head to Minnesota tonight for their third matchup with the 9th-seeded Timberwolves (12-11). The season series is currently tied 1-1.
Both teams want to gain momentum in this game and gain footing in the standings. The Wolves are 5-5 in their last 10 games, while the Lakers are 3-7.
The Wolves are currently favored in this matchup by 8.5 points.
After 4 full days off, the Lakers look to win their 2nd straight game in LeBron’s absence 👀 pic.twitter.com/g9fpzsAV4x
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) December 13, 2024
Lakers Preview
The Lakers will be without their leader tonight, LeBron James. He is missing his second straight game due to foot soreness. While it will be a tall task for the team, it is territory they have been in before.
The offense should continue to be heavily reliant on Anthony Davis, but others will need to step up in James’ absence.
The team may have Austin Reaves available again in the starting lineup. He has been upgraded to probable for tonight’s matchup. This would be a huge swing for LA, as they’ve significantly missed his playmaking.
Matchup
The Timberwolves are coming into tonight’s game after losing to the Warriors, but they had won the previous four games. During that stretch, they didn’t allow more than 92 points. They are currently ranked fifth in the NBA in defensive rating.
Minnesota also comes into this game relatively fully healthy, only missing reserve Joe Ingles. The last time these two teams played on December 2nd, the Wolves blew out the Lakers by 29 points. They suffocated the Lakers’ offense and facilitated on offense.
Los Angeles will need to have a balanced offense and attack the boards aggressively on both ends against Minnesota’s bigs to have a better chance this time around.
Lakers Keys to Victory
1. Control the Paint
Minnesota’s team revolves around rebounding and defense in the paint. In their last matchup, they won the points in the paint and rebounding battles. The Lakers will need Davis to play ultra-aggressively to control the battle in the paint.
This could be a great spot for Rui Hachimura to step up in a big way. He will be relied on more offensively and will receive a primary defensive assignment. His production opens up a lot of opportunities for the Lakers.
2. Limit the Turnovers and Facilitate the Ball
The Lakers have been plagued by turnovers at times this season and it has been due to poor facilitation in the offense.
Getting Reaves back will help to smooth out this problem, but it has been an issue that has cost the Lakers games and was a big reason for the Timberwolves’ blowout win last time. Moving the ball around consistently and getting the best looks for our shooters will be key to this victory.
3. Boost the Bench Production
With LeBron missing his 2nd game in a row, there will be a lot more minutes available for the Lakers’ bench. Dalton Knecht has been the largest bright spot out of the unit and the team will need his shooting production mightily in this one.
Max Christie should see some time on the court as well with his length on defense. If Reaves is to miss this game, the Lakers will also rely on Gabe Vincent to lead the offense.
