Game Preview #20: Timberwolves vs. Lakers

The Wolves head into a second straight home showdown with a Los Angeles team. Can the Wolves build a small winning streak and get back to 0.500 with a victory over LeBron James and the Lakers?

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Date: December 2nd, 2024
Time: 7:00PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: NBA TV/FanDuel Sports Network North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM/Wolves App/iHeart Radio

Wolves Snap the Skid, but Can They Keep Rolling Against the Lakers?

Well, Wolves fans, we can all exhale a bit. After what felt like an eternity of frustration, Minnesota finally snapped their four-game losing streak with a nail-biter win over the Clippers on Friday night. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it took every second of the game clock, a handful of Naz Reid hustle plays, and some Clippers miscues to seal the deal, but hey—a win’s a win. Now, the Wolves get the chance to build a little momentum as the Lakers roll into Target Center for a marquee Monday night matchup.

The Backstory: Lakers vs. Wolves, Part Two

This will be the Wolves’ second clash with the Lakers this season, the first being an ugly 110-103 loss in the season opener back in October. That game gave us our first real look at the post-Karl-Anthony Towns era, and, well… it wasn’t great. Anthony Davis dropped 36 points, Rui Hachimura had one of those “wait, is this guy actually good?” nights with 18 points, and the Wolves looked like a team that had met each other at breakfast that morning.

Back then, it was easy to write off the loss as early-season growing pains. The Wolves were adjusting to a roster overhaul. The Lakers, on the other hand, were running it back with most of their core intact, aside from adding new head coach J.J. Redick. But now? The excuses are wearing thin. The Wolves are 19 games in—roughly a quarter of the season—and the chemistry issues and inconsistent play are still a problem.

Why This Game Matters

Let’s not sugarcoat it: the Wolves are sitting at 9–10 and already fighting an uphill battle in the Western Conference. The good news? The hill isn’t that steep—yet. They’re only 3 games out of the No. 4 spot in the West, currently held by the Golden State Warriors. And with three games against Golden State this month, there’s a real opportunity to make up ground. But every loss digs the hole a little deeper, and the margin for error is shrinking fast.

That’s why Monday’s game isn’t just another matchup. It’s a chance to get back to .500, build some confidence, and show that this team is more than just potential on paper.

The Key Matchups: Can the Wolves Contain AD?

Let’s get one thing straight: if the Wolves can’t slow down Anthony Davis, this game could get ugly in a hurry. AD torched Minnesota in the season opener, and he’s fully capable of doing it again. Rudy Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, will have his hands full trying to limit Davis’ impact. Gobert has the tools to make life difficult for AD, but it’s going to take a full-team effort. Naz Reid will need to step up in his minutes, and Julius Randle—whose defense has been, let’s call it optional lately—will have to show more resistance as the secondary big on D.

Beyond AD, the Wolves will need to contain the Lakers’ supporting cast. LeBron James is still LeBron, but at this stage of his career, he’s more likely to put up a solid 20-point, 8-assist night than completely take over a game. The real danger lies with the role players. Guys like Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and—brace yourselves, Wolves fans—D’Angelo Russell can swing this game if they get hot. This is where Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Anthony Edwards come in. They’ll need to bring their A-game defensively to shut down LA’s secondary scorers.

The Wolves’ To-Do List

If Minnesota wants to notch back-to-back wins for the first time in weeks, here’s what they need to do:

1. Clean Up the Turnovers

Friday’s win against the Clippers came despite 22 turnovers. Let that sink in. Most teams would lose by 20 with that many giveaways, but the Wolves somehow survived. They can’t count on that luck against the Lakers. Ball security has to improve—period.

2. Better Point Guard Play

Mike Conley’s return was a welcome sight, but the Wolves still need more consistency at the point. Rob Dillingham has shown flashes of brilliance in limited minutes, and it’s time for Chris Finch to give the rookie a real chance. When Dillingham is on the floor, the offense moves more smoothly, and Ant gets better looks. If Finch keeps relying on Donte DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker for backup duties, they need to be better facilitators—and for the love of all things basketball, Donte needs to start consistently hitting some threes.

3. Limit Isolation Offense

Too often, the Wolves’ offense devolves into a series of isolation plays, with Randle or Ant trying to go one-on-one. It’s predictable, and it’s killing their rhythm. The ball needs to move, and the offense needs to generate cleaner looks.

4. Play Through Ant

This team goes as Anthony Edwards goes. He’s the face of the franchise, and he needs to play like it. That means being aggressive from the opening tip, staying engaged on defense, and stepping up as a vocal leader. This is the kind of matchup where Ant can shine—let’s see if he rises to the occasion.

Final Thoughts

This game has all the makings of a turning point—or another missed opportunity. The Lakers will be coming off a back-to-back and an overnight flight from Utah. It’s fully possible that this could be a “load management” game for some key Lakers starters. If the Wolves can’t take advantage of this setup, it’s hard to see where the turnaround starts.

But there’s hope. Friday’s win against the Clippers wasn’t perfect, but it showed flashes of what this team can be when they’re locked in. If they can build on that, clean up the turnovers, and bring the same defensive intensity, there’s no reason they can’t walk out of Target Center with a win.

And who knows? Maybe this is the game where Ant reminds everyone why he’s the future face of the league. Maybe Rudy shuts down AD. Maybe Dillingham has his breakout moment. Or maybe we’re all just here again in a few days, wondering when this team will finally figure it out.

Either way, it’s time for the Wolves to show us something. Let’s hope they’re ready.