Lakers and James keep the Wolves at bay
LeBron has 24 points in LA's ding-dong 114-110 win over Minnesota
LeBron James scored 24 points, and Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart had 21 apiece as the Los Angeles Lakers held on in a back-and-forth National Basketball Association game yesterday morning (Singapore time) to earn a 114-110 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.
James added 10 rebounds and nine assists, just missing out on his second triple-double as a member of the Lakers. Brandon Ingram scored 20 points for Los Angeles, who won for the third time in the past four games.
Powered by their veteran backcourt, the Wolves got 31 points from Derrick Rose and 24 from Jimmy Butler.
Minnesota remained winless away from home at 0-7, and dropped their fourth consecutive game overall.
Leading by a point late in the game, the Lakers missed three shots with less than a minute to play, two on three-point attempts from James.
Los Angeles kept the possession alive with offensive rebounds, and Kuzma eventually hit one free-throw for a 112-110 lead with 9.2sec left.
The Wolves had one last possession, but Rose missed a wide open three-pointer with four seconds to go. It was just the second miss in nine three-point attempts for Rose, who had a 50-point game on Oct 31 against the Utah Jazz.
The Timberwolves, who entered 19th in the NBA in three-pointers made at 10.3 per game, went 20-for-40 from beyond the arc.
Tyson Chandler made his Lakers debut in the first quarter and scored his first basket with them when he tipped in a Rajon Rondo miss with 5:11 remaining in the second quarter. He finished with two points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.
I’ve been on the other side and played the villain. Now it’s great to be on this side and actually rep ’em.Tyson Chandler, making his LA Lakers debut yesterday, after his contract was bought out by the Phoenix Suns
Chandler's contract was bought out by the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, and he signed with the Lakers on Tuesday.
"I love this city the way they love me," Chandler told ESPN about the standing ovation he received from Lakers' fans.
"When you're homegrown from here, go to high school and all of that, and you have these same fans that have been watching and now you represent the jersey that everyone has been cheering for their entire lives, you kind of become one.
"I've been on the other side and played the villain. Now it's great to be on this side and actually rep 'em." - REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
