Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves were engaged in a fierce back-and-forth battle on Sunday night in Los Angeles basketball.
Until the end of the fourth quarter. The Los Angeles Lakers transformed a 92-92 deadlock in the fourth quarter into a 120-109 victory, securing their ninth victory in a span of thirteen games. This victory was made possible by Anthony Davis’s outstanding performance. Ultimately, Davis accomplished something that has never been accomplished by a player in the history of the NBA.
27 points, 25 rebounds, five assists, seven steals, and three blocks were all things that Davis concluded the game with. In the history of the National Basketball Association, no other player has ever managed to get 25 or more points, 25 or more rebounds, five or more assists, and five or more steals in a single game.
Anthony Davis overwhelmed a beleaguered Timberwolves front line Sunday night. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Davis was able to accomplish this while making the most of the fact that the Timberwolves’ front line was missing center Rudy Gobert and power forward Karl-Anthony Towns, both of whom were sidelined with injuries which prevented them from playing on Sunday. As a result of a torn meniscus in his left knee, Towns is out for an extended period of time, and Gobert sat with hamstring tightness after starting Sunday’s game with a doubtful tag.
As a result of his offensive performance, Naz Reid was selected to start in the post position for Minnesota. He finished with 25 points and made five of ten three-point shots. Davis, a nine-time All-Star who was the greatest player on the court on Sunday night, was a formidable opponent for him. He was no match for Davis.In addition to his own impressive performance, LeBron James managed to rack up 29 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
With the victory, the Los Angeles Lakers improved their record to 36-30, gaining a 1.5-game advantage over the Golden State Warriors, who are currently in 10th place, and moving within one game of the Dallas Mavericks, who are currently in ninth place in the Western conference play-in race. The Phoenix Suns, who are currently in sixth place and would earn the final guaranteed playoff slot for the Western Conference if the postseason could begin on Sunday, are currently two games behind them.
The Timberwolves fall to 44-21 after suffering their second consecutive loss and their fourth loss in a span of six games. They are now in second place in the Western Conference, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder with a record of 45-19 and the Denver Nuggets with a record of 44-20. This is because they are adjusting to playing the remainder of the regular season without Towns.
