The Timberwolves led the Lakers 94-93 with less than four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but when all was said and done, Los Angeles was able to pick up its 15th straight victory over Minnesota with Friday night’s 106-98 victory.
The Wolves actually led for the majority of the first three quarters, but lost all momentum when Lakers center Andrew Bynum was hit for a flagrant-two foul after nailing Michael Beasley as he drove to the hoop in the fourth quarter that eventually resulted in Beasley and Matt Barnes jawing before they were separated.
The Lakers (49-20), spurred by Kobe Bryant, went on a 13-5 run after the incident to seal the Wolves’ fate.
Surprisingly enough, rookie wingman Wesley Johnson scored a career-high 29 points for the Timberwolves at STAPLES Center for his second nice game against Los Angeles as he scored 20 points and added eight rebounds in the Wolves last meeting with the Lakers.
Other leaders for the Wolves included Beasley, who scored 18 points before leaving due to an injury that seemingly stemmed from Bynum’s foul, and Kevin Love with 15 points and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
Los Angeles was led by Pau Gasol’s 25 points while Bryant chipped in 18 on 17 shot attempts.