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Lakers rally to top Timberwolves 105-96
Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied in the fourth quarter while he rested for a 105-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Chucky Atkins had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Chris Mihm scored 14 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Lakers.
Los Angeles went 16-for-35 from 3-point range, one short of the franchise record for both attempts and makes. Caron Butler added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
A running jumper at the third-quarter buzzer by Atkins cut Minnesota's lead to 76-67, and Bryant — who had played every minute up to that point — began the fourth on the bench.
The Lakers went on a 24-7 run without him that included five 3-pointers, two each by Brian Cook and Jumaine Jones, and gave Los Angeles a 91-83 advantage with less than five minutes remaining.
Bryant then returned and, with the Lakers up by five, swished a long 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 96-88 with 1:44 on the clock.
On the previous possession, Wally Szczerbiak — who had 12 points — and Troy Hudson — who had 18 — each missed 3-pointers that would've cut the lead to two. Latrell Sprewell also scored 18 points for the Wolves.
This was a watered-down rematch of last year's Western Conference finals, when the Lakers outlasted the Wolves in six games before their defeat to Detroit in the NBA finals that led to the big breakup.
Shaquille O'Neal, now with Miami, was conspicuously missing from the Los Angeles frontcourt — as was coach Phil Jackson from the bench. And Minnesota, which has struggled all season to rediscover the rhythm that got it the conference's top seed, limped in with nine losses in the last 13 games. The Lakers entered with the better record, but just by one game.
The Timberwolves have had a tough time finding consistency on defense, but they enjoyed some success early — limiting Los Angeles to four made field goals in its first 24 attempts.
Bryant, who scored 16 of his team's first 23 points, helped bring the Lakers back within nine at the half. Lamar Odom, who scored just five points, hit a 27-footer at the buzzer to cut the lead to 53-44.
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