Timberwolves notch wire-to-wire win over LeBron-less Lakers

Anthony Edwards scored 23 points on 9-for-20 shooting, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 97-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night in Minneapolis.

Julius Randle finished with 21 points for Minnesota, which won for the fifth time in its past six games. Jaden McDaniels scored 18 points, and Rudy Gobert registered a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Anthony Davis scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Los Angeles, which never led and lost for the eighth time in its past 11 contests. Austin Reaves contributed 18 points, and Max Christie scored 15.

LeBron James did not play because of left foot soreness. It marked only the second time this season that the Lakers have played without James, who turns 40 on Dec. 30.

Minnesota shot 40.2 percent (35 of 87) from the field and 28.1 percent (9 of 32) from beyond the arc. Los Angeles shot 38.4 percent (33 of 86) overall and 28.6 percent (10 of 35) from long distance.

The Lakers pulled within 87-82 with 2:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. Davis made a 3-pointer from 25 feet to cut the deficit to five.

The Timberwolves responded by scoring the next six points to move in front by 11. McDaniels scored on a layup, Edwards made three of four free-throw attempts and Gobert made one of two free-throw attempts during the run.

Los Angeles never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

The Lakers trailed 77-66 at the end of the third quarter.

Edwards scored 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the third quarter. No other player on either team scored more than five points during the quarter.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 14 points before the break. Donte DiVincenzo drained a 3-pointer to give Minnesota a 32-18 lead with 1:04 left in the first quarter.

The Lakers trimmed the deficit to 50-44 at the half. Reaves finished the first-half scoring with a 3-pointer assisted by Christie.

--Field Level Media