Karl-Anthony Towns scored 18 of his 29 points in the third quarter and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves ended a six-game losing streak by cruising to a 107-83 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
D’Angelo Russell scored 22 points for the Timberwolves, who opened the second half on a 29-4 run and held the Lakers without a field goal for a 7:33 stretch of the third quarter. Naz Reid scored 12 points for Minnesota, while Patrick Beverley had 11.
Anthony Davis amassed 22 points and eight rebounds as the Lakers scored a season low in points and lost for the third time in five games since LeBron James got hurt. James, sidelined due to an abdominal strain, has returned to on-court activity and has been ruled day-to-day after last playing on Nov. 2.
Russell Westbrook scored 20 points for the Lakers, who also were without Austin Reaves (hamstring), while Rajon Rondo returned after missing Wednesday’s victory over the Miami Heat with a hamstring ailment. Rondo had seven points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Anthony Edwards had nine points for Minnesota, one game after he scored a career-best 48 on Wednesday at Golden State. Edwards didn’t make his first field goal until 4:05 remained in the first half, and the Lakers took a 49-44 lead into the break.
It all changed after halftime as the Wolves’ defense held the Lakers without a field goal from 11:17 remaining in the third quarter when Davis made a jumper until the 3:44 mark when Avery Bradley sank a 3-pointer.
Towns took over in the period, going 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. The Wolves shot 38.8 percent from the field in the first half before shooting 62.5 percent (15 of 24) in the third quarter. The Lakers shot 19 percent (4 of 21) in the third.
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The Wolves ended a six-game losing streak in Los Angeles against both the Lakers and Clippers, and they defeated the Lakers on the road for the first time since a 120-105 victory on Jan. 24, 2019.
Minnesota won for the first time since Oct. 27 against the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks.
–Field Level Media