National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
L.A. Lakers 105, Minnesota 102
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, March 9, 2012
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #20 Leroy Richardson, #60 James Williams
Attendance: 20164

LAKERS 105, TIMBERWOLVES 102:
Kobe Bryant scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half and Andrew Bynum had a big night as visiting Los Angeles bounced back from a pair of tough losses.

Minnesota, which was without Kevin Love, had its three-game winning streak end.

After dropping road games to the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards earlier this week, the Lakers had some questions to answer about whether they could win on the road. Bryant, who shot 1 for 10 in the fourth quarter against the Wizards, stepped up at the end.

The All-Star guard got the ball with 16.4 seconds left and attacked rookie Ricky Rubio, drawing a foul. Bryant calmly buried both free throws to give Los Angeles back the lead. He got a rebound on the other end and hit two more free throws to seal it.

Bynum finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds and Pau Gasol added 12 and 11 for the Lakers, who have taken 18 straight from the Timberwolves.

Love dressed for the game but did not play after having back spasms earlier in the day.

Los Angeles trailed, 58-49, at the half but Bryant scored 14 points in the third quarter to send the game into the final frame knotted at 78-78. It went back and forth in the fourth quarter, with Minnesota taking a 100-99 lead when Luke Ridnour buried a 3-pointer with 1:32 left.

Bynum and Nikola Pekovic traded baskets, keeping Minnesota up by a point with 28 seconds to play.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pekovic recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds and Derrick Williams added 22 and 10 to lead the Timberwolves … The Lakers improved to 7-14 on the road … Minnesota dropped one-half game behind Houston for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Lakers   Minnesota
Kobe Bryant 34 Scoring Nikola Pekovic 25
Steve Blake 5 Assists Ricky Rubio 10
Pau Gasol 11 Rebounds Nikola Pekovic 13
Kobe Bryant 10 Free Throws Made Nikola Pekovic 9
Matt Barnes 1 Steals Wesley Johnson 4
Kobe Bryant 2 Blocks Wesley Johnson 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Lakers 105 47.6 6-18 21-27 22 45 8 5 17
Minnesota 102 45.7 8-20 20-26 19 34 5 9 13
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .526 after a loss.
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Boston. The Lakers have a W/L % of .565 after a win and .647 after a loss.