Lakers take down Timberwolves in second half behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves
· Yahoo Sports
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers' push continued at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday against another top-of-the-standings opponent, beating the Timberwolves 120-106 behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves' second-half effort.
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The NBA's top-scoring duo were the catalyst of the Lakers' 40th win of the season, combining for 62 points. Dončić notched his seventh triple-double of the season with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while Reaves also finished with 31 points (seven rebounds, eight assists) on an efficient 50% shooting.
In the third straight game without LeBron James, Los Angeles got off to a rough start with a lot of sloppy basketball from both teams, who combined for two of 22 shots from 3 at the end of the first quarter.
In the midst of the slow start, Deandre Ayton set the tone for the Lakers' frontcourt, with backup center Jaxson Hayes being a late scratch and Maxi Kleber missing his third straight game.
Ayton made an effort to attack the glass as he built his way to a double-double in the first quarter, his 19th of the season. Ayton finished with 14 points (seven of 11) and 12 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass.
“It's great for his teammates to see him have a really good performance on both ends of the floor," coach JJ Redick said on Ayton. "He's won us and helped to win us a ton of games this year. During this stretch there's been some up and downs. But he was great tonight, it's good for his confidence."
<span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span>With the score knotted at the half, the Lakers took full advantage of the fresh start and turned up their energy, with Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards having an off first half. Edwards finished with 14 points in 31 minutes on two of 14 shooting.
Edwards was the Timberwolves' leading scorer as Minnesota had six players finish in double figures.
Where They Stand
The Lakers improve to 40-25 and jump ahead of the Timberwolves for fourth in the Western Conference as they now are 16-20 against teams .500 and above.
L.A. now stands with a 21-12 home record this season.
The Game-Changer: Explosive Third Q and Beyond
The Lakers broke the game away in the third quarter behind the NBA’s highest-scoring duo in Doncic and Reaves.
Reaves would pour in 16 points in the third, while Dončić scored 14 in the quarter. The duo combined for 30 of the Lakers' 39 points in the third as they outscored the Timberwolves 39-20 in the quarter and 75-61 in the second half.
"I think we played some of our best basketball games of the season," Dončić said. "It starts on the defense. Everybody's putting in the effort and that's not easy to do. I think we're doing it now."
<span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span><span class="fr-mk" style="display: none;"> </span>The Gamebreaker: Dončić and Reaves
Dončić yet again was a nightmare for the Timberwolves' defense, hitting yet another bank-in fallaway 3, while Reaves showed he's finding his groove from where he left off at the beginning of the season.
While Dončić continued to keep the Timberwolves' defense on their heels, Reaves slowly helped close out Minnesota behind multiple 3-point plays down the stretch and even a crowd-roaring four-point play.
Austin Reaves getting it going with an and-1 triple. pic.twitter.com/c7oNkvRNhQ
— Carlos Yakimowich (@CarlosYakJr) March 11, 2026
Reaves scored 29 of his final 31 points in the second half.
Next On The Schedule
The Lakers will play their next two games at home against Chicago and Denver before going on a six-game road trip from March 16 to March 25. They will see Houston twice, Orlando and Detroit before heading back for a three-game homestand.