Timberwolves begin road trip at Lakers

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Timberwolves begin road trip at Lakers
STATS LLC - 2017-03-24T07:07:03Z

LOS ANGELES -- If the inconsistent Minnesota Timberwolves expect to have
any shot at the playoffs, they need to string together some wins during
their three-game road swing.

The Timberwolves (28-42) begin their trip Friday night against the Los
Angeles Lakers (20-51) at Staples Center. Minnesota faces the Portland
Trail Blazers on Saturday before visiting the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

Minnesota has lost four in a row, dropping 5 1/2 games behind the Denver
Nuggets in the race for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference
playoffs, with 12 games remaining. The Timberwolves have struggled on the
road, posting a 10-23 record.

In their last home game, the Timberwolves fell to the San Antonio Spurs
100-93 on Tuesday. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points and collected 14
rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins finished with 22 points for the
Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves held a 93-92 lead with 2:04 left after a bucket by Towns,
but never scored again.

Turnovers hurt the Timberwolves again. Minnesota committed 23, resulting in
35 San Antonio points. The Timberwolves are ranked 20th in the NBA for
miscues, averaging 13.7 per game.

"That's what killed us: turnovers," Wiggins told the Star Tribune. "The
turnovers. Everyone needs to play together, execute the plays that we're
known for."

Minnesota is struggling late in games during its slump.

"When the pressure's greatest, you have to be at your best," Timberwolves
coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We have to be able to execute when the pressure
is turned up, and those are the habits you build day after day."

The Lakers have been known for mediocre play for much of the season. They
were pounded 133-109 by the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

Lakers coach Luke Walton was unhappy again with the performance of his
players, calling them out for playing as individuals instead of as a team.

Walton was so disgusted with his starters, he benched them at the start of
the second half after the Clippers rolled to a 70-40 halftime lead.

"He told us that's unacceptable to come out like that, and I think it was
embarrassing for us to be down like that," rookie forward Brandon Ingram
told the Los Angeles Times. "It's just something that can't happen."

But that's been the routine for the Lakers, who have the worst mark in the
Western Conference and have dropped 14 of the last 15 contests. Still,
Walton tries to remain positive.

"To me, there has been a lot of individual improvement," Walton said. "What
we have to understand as a team is that until the team means more than the
individual, it's going to be really hard to win. I think our guys
understand that and try to do that, for the most part. But, when adversity
hits, it's natural to fall back on your old habits."

Those habits were on full display the last time the Lakers played the
Timberwolves, who won 125-99 on Nov. 13 at Minnesota behind a career-high
47 points by Wiggins.

The clubs will face each other two more times. Los Angeles will visit
Minnesota on March 30, and Minnesota returns to Staples Center on April 9.