{"id":10853,"date":"2024-12-14T08:57:32","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T08:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=10853"},"modified":"2024-12-14T08:57:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T08:57:32","slug":"instant-analysis-what-went-wrong-for-lakers-in-crushing-double-digit-loss-to-timberwolves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=10853","title":{"rendered":"Instant Analysis: What Went Wrong For Lakers In Crushing Double-Digit Loss To Timberwolves.."},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"m-detail-header--dek\">Los Angeles Lakers shoot 38% from the field with 21 turnovers as they fall to the Memphis Grizzlies without LeBron James.<\/div>\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--flexbox\">\n<div class=\"m-detail-header--meta\">\n<div class=\"m-description--list\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fadeawayworld.net\/.image\/t_share\/MjExMzAwNTA3MzI1NTczMTA4\/anthony-davis-lakers-health.jpg\" alt=\" Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers\u00a0came into Target Center on Friday desperate for a win but without\u00a0LeBron James\u00a0(out for personal reasons), it was a daunting task from the start. Unfortunately, the product on the floor was much worse than anyone would have imagined for the Lakers, who looked completely lost and disconnected on the floor against the\u00a0Minnesota Timberwolves.<\/p>\n<p>It was a nightmare from the start for the Lake Show, who were outscored 32-23 in the first quarter. Without their leader and top player, the Lakers didn&#8217;t have enough to keep up with the young and spry Timberwolves, who won the game by 10 points (97-87) while holding the Lakers to 38% shooting.<\/p>\n<p>As expected,\u00a0Anthony Edwards\u00a0led the way for Minnesota with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist on 9-20 shooting in 32:37 minutes of play.\u00a0Julius Randle\u00a0dropped 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on 7-16 shooting while\u00a0Jaden McDaniels\u00a0finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals on 7-11 shooting.<\/p>\n<p>For the Lakers,\u00a0Anthony Davis\u00a0tried his best to weather the storm with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 10-21 shooting but it wasn&#8217;t nearly enough to win the game.\u00a0Austin Reaves\u00a0dropped 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in the game on 6-16 shooting while\u00a0Max Christie\u00a0contributed 15 points 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 5-9 shooting.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\">\n<div class=\"m-in-content-ad not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-0\" data-zone-count=\"3\">\n<div class=\"not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d m-in-content-ad is-empty not-filled\">\n<div id=\"ad-in_content-a0b64df0191f43a5829c09e7d1e513de\" data-google-query-id=\"CO-Vh-nxpooDFVDyTAId14chaw\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>All-in-all, it was a miserable game for the Purple and Gold and the Timberwolves were able to cruise to victory to jump them in the standings. The Lakers, now 13-12, are down to 10th in the standings and their latest defeat is a strong indication that things will not get better on their own.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"stone-cold-from-three\" class=\"is-aligned-center\">Stone Cold From Three<\/h2>\n<p>The Lakers didn&#8217;t crack 90 points tonight and it&#8217;s perhaps the biggest sign of a struggling offense. The biggest problem was the three-point shooting, where the Lakers went 10-35 (28.6%). So, despite solid defense, they had no chance to take control of the game.<\/p>\n<p>Perimeter shooting is a must for the Lakers if they are to be competitive in the West. During their title run in 2020, they had guys like Kentavous Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, and Danny Green to space the floor. This year, they hoped that\u00a0Cam Reddish, Austin Reaves, and\u00a0Dalton Knecht\u00a0could take over those roles&#8230; but that just hasn&#8217;t been the case.<\/p>\n<p>Without the shooting to space the floor, the Lakers couldn&#8217;t get going and even Anthony Davis failed to generate good looks (shot 47.6%). This has been a consistent problem for the Lakers and it&#8217;s why\u00a0finding some long-range snipers has become a top priority for the front office.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"careless-basketball\" class=\"is-aligned-center\">Careless Basketball<\/h2>\n<p>Another consistent problem for the Lakers was at work tonight: turnovers. The team gave up the ball 14 times in the first half alone due to miscommunication, lazy passes, and just all-around carelessness with the ball.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\">\n<div class=\"m-in-content-ad not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-1\" data-zone-count=\"3\">\n<div class=\"not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d m-in-content-ad is-empty not-filled\">\n<div id=\"ad-in_content-0f9b6c6832944a30b233bada7a17d398\" data-google-query-id=\"CNO90vDxpooDFV3yTAId5eszDg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>By the end of the game, the Lakers had 21 turnovers, which means that the Timberwolves were feasting off their mistakes all night long. Without LeBron James, the Lakers didn&#8217;t have anyone to run the offense and it created pressure on guys like Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Max Christie to make plays.<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, the Lakers reverted to old habits tonight and it cost them the chance at a win. If they want to turn the season around, they&#8217;ll have to improve on that end of the floor and clean up their careless turnovers.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"mm-horizontal-rule mm-horizontal-rule--hr1\" \/>\n<h2 id=\"no-help-from-supporting-cast\" class=\"is-aligned-center\">No Help From Supporting Cast<\/h2>\n<p>The Lakers were shorthanded tonight, but they still had two stars to lead the way for them. With Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, they were hoping it would be enough to steal a win on the road against one of the best teams in the West.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Davis and Reaves were the only two Lakers players to make a positive impact on the game. Davis pretty much carried the squad and when he wasn&#8217;t scoring, he was pulling the attention of the defense with his magnetic presence. Reaves also delivered on his dues, even though he shot just 37.5% from the field.<\/p>\n<p>Max Christie was the only other Laker to score over 10 points and he was the only one on the team to shoot above 50% from the field. The bench combined for just 16 points on 6-20 shooting. Without the proper help, Davis was unable to lead the Lakers to a win and all they can do now is move on and prepare for the next game.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"m-in-content-ad-row l-inline mm-in-content-ad-row--in-content not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\">\n<div class=\"m-in-content-ad not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d\" data-ad-group=\"in_content-2\" data-zone-count=\"3\">\n<div class=\"not-size-a not-size-b not-size-d m-in-content-ad is-empty not-filled\">\n<div id=\"ad-in_content-e4747c21e6fa406ebd53cfdc5313ebc6\" data-google-query-id=\"CJ2dh_bxpooDFRyYuQUdxA8lhw\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Unfortunately for the Lakers, it won&#8217;t get any easier from here. In two days, they have to face the\u00a0Memphis Grizzlies\u00a0at Crypto.com arena before heading to Golden 1 Center for a game against the\u00a0Sacramento Kings\u00a0on December 19th at 10:00 PM EST. It&#8217;s the first part of a two-game set against the Kings, which ends on Saturday, December 21st at 6:00 PM EST.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Los Angeles Lakers shoot 38% from the field with 21 turnovers as they fall to the Memphis Grizzlies without LeBron James. The\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers\u00a0came into Target Center&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Instant Analysis: What Went Wrong For Lakers In Crushing Double-Digit Loss To Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=10853\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Instant Analysis: What Went Wrong For Lakers In Crushing Double-Digit Loss To Timberwolves.. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Los Angeles Lakers shoot 38% from the field with 21 turnovers as they fall to the Memphis Grizzlies without LeBron James. 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