The first row of seats directly across from the benches was empty at the start of the second half. Instead of watching the game courtside, fans were attending a party elsewhere inside Crypto.com Arena for Netflix’s “Running Point,” a comedy inspired by Jeanie Buss that premiered Thursday.
Early in the third quarter, LeBron James flew into some of those empty seats, flying at Naz Reid, who had an open look at a three-pointer. James caused just enough of a distraction that Reid missed, the Lakers pushing the other way and scoring as James untangled himself from a collapsed row of chairs.
“This is who we are,” he said.
It was another moment, another play by James for a Lakers team that has suddenly become one of the NBA’s grittiest — a group that fights on defense and can grind out wins when its offense isn’t at its best like Thursday, when it hung on for a 111-102 win.
“It’s good to win when you don’t have your best stuff,” Austin Reaves said. “And I feel like that’s how you end up with a really good record. You’re not going to play good every game, but figuring out ways to win those games is very important.”
James finished with 33 points, 17 rebounds and six assists while epitomizing the Lakers’ defensive intensity. Reaves added 23 points and Luka Doncic had 21 points,13 rebounds and five assists.
The Lakers (36-21) raced to a 23-point lead against Minnesota, dominating from the tip thanks to stellar play that has made them the league’s most efficient team on defense over the past 20-plus games.
The style has been effective, pushing the Lakers to 15 games over .500 and into a tie in the loss column for third in the West with the Denver Nuggets.
Minnesota (32-28), however, found its footing after losing Anthony Edwards to an ejection midway through the third quarter. Without Edwards, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert — the latter two because of injury — the Timberwolves ticked up their physicality and attacked, whittling the Lakers’ lead down to three points.
But two buckets from Doncic, including one absurd three-pointer made as he fell out of bounds, gave the Lakers enough cushion in a game that, fittingly, ended with them having to fight for every point.
Luka Doncic makes a three-pointer just before the shot clock expires during the fourth quarter against the Timberwolves.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, tries to pass around leaping Minnesota guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) in the first half Thursday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers’ defensive effort came on the perfect night, another one where Doncic struggled to find his offensive rhythm.
The rest of the Lakers slowly wore down. Everything from open threes, to layups to free throws all failed to break an invisible seal placed on the rim in the fourth.
The team made just five of 20 attempts from the field in the fourth quarter, and while the Lakers shot 46 free throws, they made only 32.
Playing for the sixth time since being traded from Dallas, Doncic made just one three-pointer, missing eight. Since joining the Lakers, he has made 11 of 49 (22.4%) from three-point range.
“Yeah. I think the big thing for me is you gotta go through a lot of downs to get to the highest point,” Doncic said. “But it’s a big challenge for me, just getting back into my rhythm. Making those easier shots for me. And it’s a big challenge for me. And I look forward to it.”
Doncic, though, said the energy for him in Los Angeles has been a thrill.
“It’s amazing. I think the atmosphere has been amazing, even when I’m playing bad. I don’t think I’ve had a good game here yet,” Doncic said. “But every time I check in, they cheer for me. So this is an unbelievable feeling to be here.”
Rui Hachimura left in the third quarter after scoring on a one-handed dunk. He sustained a left-knee strain, according to the team, and didn’t return.
Doncic and James are unsure if they will play against the visiting Clippers on Friday, and Hachimura seems like a long shot.
Still, the Lakers have themselves a formula — flying around the court, and if necessary, into the seats.
“When you have enough live bodies to be able to go out there every night, then it’s sustainable,” James said. “But in order for us to win, we have to play hard. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
