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| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Timberwolves | 29 | 24 | 30 | 38 | 121 |
 Lakers | 20 | 32 | 28 | 24 | 104 |
MINTeam statsLAL| Team | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | 49-8458.3% | 11-3234.4% | 12-1485.7% | 42 | 30 | 15 |
| LAL | 40-9243.5% | 10-3033.3% | 14-2070.0% | 37 | 21 | 12 |
Point at or clickTap a player to see his shots, then his whole game from there. ClickTap a number under REB, AST, STL, BLK, TO or PF to see those plays.
Minnesota Timberwolves121| 41 | 23 | 11-20 | 1-7 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | +17 | +5.9 | ||||||
| 40 | 21 | 7-12 | 2-6 | 5-6 | 0 | +18 | +4.5 | |||||||
| 34 | 23 | 11-13 | 1-1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | +5 | +9.4 | ||||||
| 34 | 16 | 7-16 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +11 | −0.9 | |||||
| 33 | 6 | 3-6 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | +9 | −2.1 | ||||||
| Bench | ||||||||||||||
| 19 | 19 | 7-10 | 3-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | +11 | +6.4 | |||
| 16 | 5 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 0 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | +13 | −2.3 | |||||
| 15 | 7 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 0 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | +8 | +6.0 | |||||
| 6 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | −2 | −1.4 | ||||
| 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5 | −0.3 | |
| Team | 121 | 49-8458.3% | 11-3234.4% | 42 | 30 | 15 | 13 | 12-1485.7% | 7 | 9 | 4 | |||
Bench 32 points on 10 for 17 shooting
Did not play: Cole Aldrich, Aaron Brooks and Shabazz Muhammad (coach’s decision).
Los Angeles Lakers104| 41 | 31 | 8-18 | 6-11 | 0 | 9-13 | −9 | +7.3 | |||||||
| 39 | 12 | 5-13 | 2-8 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | −8 | −5.0 | ||||||
| 36 | 8 | 3-11 | 2-6 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | −6 | −9.1 | |||||
| 35 | 17 | 8-24 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 0 | −9 | +0.9 | |||||||
| 15 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | −14 | −1.4 | |||||
| Bench | ||||||||||||||
| 21 | 9 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | +2.7 | ||||||
| 19 | 16 | 7-10 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | −11 | +4.7 | ||||||
| 15 | 7 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −12 | +0.5 | ||||
| 10 | 2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −7 | −2.7 | ||||
| 9 | 2 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | −9 | −5.2 | ||||
| Team | 104 | 40-9243.5% | 10-3033.3% | 37 | 21 | 12 | 16 | 14-2070.0% | 13 | 10 | 1 | |||
Bench 36 points on 16 for 26 shooting
Did not play: Ivica Zubac and Thomas Bryant (coach’s decision); Brook Lopez (injury/illness).
Timberwolves121Lakers104ClickTap a team’s number to see the plays behind it.
PS, Performance Score: points above what an average player adds in the same minutes. The game’s highs are in blue, hot shooting in gold, cold in gray. ClickTap a column’s heading to sort by it.
Taj Gibson scored 23 points (18 in the paint), and the Minnesota Timberwolves went on a 16-1 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-104 for their fourth straight win on Christmas at STAPLES Center.
The Lakers led 84-83 when Karl-Anthony Towns’ driving layup put the Timberwolves ahead for good with 11:03 left. He and Jamal Crawford scored 8 points each as they pulled away to a 99-85 lead with 8:07 left.
Jimmy Butler III had 23 points (12 in the paint) and 8 assists, and Towns added 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. The Timberwolves had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Lakers, Kyle Kuzma scored 31 points with 6 3-pointers.
The Timberwolves shot 58.3% from the field and 34.4% from 3 to the Lakers’ 43.5% and 33.3%. The Lakers’ starters were outscored 39-25 in 15 minutes together.
Minnesota TimberwolvesLos Angeles LakersPS, Performance Score: points above what an average player adds in the same minutes.
The five plays that moved the chance to win most, in order.
Each play from the side of the team that made it: its chance to win before and after, and the change in percentage points. On the court, each shot is the shooter’s face (gray when he missed), bigger the more it moved the chance. Chances from the site’s game model (the per-play numbers the Clutch and Performances tabs use aren’t built for this game).
109 points from the field on 84 shots: 19.1 more than the league scores from the same zones.
Point at a shooter to see his shots light up; click for his shots alone.
| Zone | FG | % | League |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the rim | 22-28 | 78.6% | 63% |
| In the paint | 7-7 | 100.0% | 40% |
| Mid-range | 9-17 | 52.9% | 40% |
| Corner 3 | 7-10 | 70.0% | 39% |
| Above-the-break 3 | 4-22 | 18.2% | 36% |
| Guarded by | Poss | Pts | FG | vs usual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Kuzma | 45 | 13 | 6-7 | +6 |
| Josh Hart | 8 | 6 | 3-4 | +5 |
| Jordan Clarkson | 4 | 0 | 0-0 | −1 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 4 | 6 | 3-3 | +5 |
| Everyone else | 8 | 2 | 1-2 | +1 |
The tracking credits him with 27 points on 69 possessions. He usually scores about 11 on that many.
| Guarded by | Poss | Pts | FG | vs usual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Hart | 44 | 6 | 3-8 | −4 |
| Jordan Clarkson | 7 | 2 | 1-1 | 0 |
| Corey Brewer | 6 | 2 | 1-2 | +1 |
| Kyle Kuzma | 5 | 2 | 1-3 | +1 |
| Everyone else | 17 | 8 | 4-6 | +4 |
The tracking credits him with 20 points on 79 possessions. He usually scores about 18 on that many.
| Guarded by | Poss | Pts | FG | vs usual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Nance Jr. | 27 | 2 | 1-3 | −5 |
| Andrew Bogut | 22 | 8 | 3-5 | +2 |
| Jordan Clarkson | 7 | 2 | 1-1 | 0 |
| Julius Randle | 7 | 0 | 0-0 | −2 |
| Everyone else | 17 | 4 | 2-4 | 0 |
The tracking credits him with 16 points on 79 possessions. He usually scores about 21 on that many.
What the players each one guarded scored, against what they usually score on as many possessions.
Possessions, and parts of possessions when defenders switched, from the NBA’s matchup tracking. The line under a defender’s name: his share of the scorer’s possessions. Usual: what the scorer averaged a possession against every defender in the regular season, eased toward the league’s rate when he has few possessions.
LAL win probability — AI model powered by play-by-play data
MIN
50/50
LAL
Highest Leverage Moments
Hart 26' 3PT Pullup Jump Shot (12 PTS) (Clarkson 7 AST)
Q4 4:30
13.2%
7→21
Randle 2' Cutting Layup Shot (14 PTS) (Ennis 2 AST)
Q4 11:14
13.1%
45→58
Towns 1' Driving Layup (15 PTS) (Jones 2 AST)
Q4 11:03
11.1%
58→47
Kuzma 26' 3PT Running Pull-Up Jump Shot (19 PTS) (Clarkson 4 AST)
Q3 11:31
11.0%
49→60
Kuzma 26' 3PT Jump Shot (16 PTS) (Caldwell-Pope 1 AST)
Q2 1:07
10.7%
47→58
