Unsure when LeBron James will return, Lakers lose again to Timberwolves

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, left, controls the ball in front of Lakers forward Anthony Davis during the first half of the Lakers’ 97-87 loss Friday. (Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

Anthony Davis grabbed the ball after it swished through the net and slammed his head against it in frustration.

The Lakers had been fighting, once again without LeBron James, who remained away from the team while nursing a sore foot. They traveled to Minnesota, where they had just played one of their worst offensive games in years, and it was happening again.

The shots wouldn’t fall, the Lakers couldn’t score and, to make matters worse, Davis had turned it over again — the ball simply squirting out of his hands, leading to a Minnesota three.

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The basketball deserved to be punished.

No matter how much the Lakers defended, no matter how often they climbed back into a game they never led, the basketball just wouldn’t do the things the Lakers wanted on the offensive end.

They missed three after three, repeatedly turned it over and were only slightly better than they were in the same building 11 days ago.

The Lakers lost to the Timberwolves 97-87 on Friday night, unable to make any real offensive improvement from an 80-point game here on Dec. 2.

Lakers coach JJ Redick, right, talks with forward Anthony Davis during the first half of a 97-87 loss to the Timberwolves on Friday night. (Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

“We did enough defensively,” Davis said. “Just didn’t do enough offensively.”

In that previous loss at Minnesota, the Lakers (13-12) turned it over 21 times. Friday, they turned it over 22 times.

“They came in a number of ways,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Some passes we tried to fit through tight windows. Never want to inbound the ball to the other team after a made field goal and give up a dunk. Some of it not holding our positioning and timing our physicality to get open. …. Yeah, killed us.”

In three games against Minnesota this season, the Lakers have made just 21 of 96 three-point shots.

Davis led the Lakers…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jj-redick-says-doesnt-know-013831590.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-12-14 01:38:00

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