LOS ANGELES — As the seconds ticked away on a tough loss that would lower the Lakers’ playoff odds, Anthony Davis had a problem.
On his final basket of the night, he tumbled to the ground and his right shoe came off his foot. It was just a three-point game with a minute-and-a-half remaining, so the big man ran back anyway, trying to get in position to guard center Rudy Gobert and potentially get a needed stop.
But Mike Conley drained a 3-pointer, Davis finally got a timeout to retrieve his shoe, and the Lakers never got any closer.
Davis is starting to get used to disadvantages, soldiering through the Lakers’ 110-102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves without LeBron James or D’Angelo Russell.
While the 29-year-old put up a game-high 38 points, he found few other consistent co-stars on the offensive end – no other Laker had more than Malik Beasley’s 15 points, and only Lonnie Walker IV also finished in double figures. That was in stark contrast to Minnesota’s offensive effort, which featured five double-digit scorers led by Gobert’s 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Davis’ game was boosted in part by getting to the foul line, which he did 14 times for 12 points. At one point in the third quarter, both Gobert and Anthony Edwards had four fouls apiece. But the Lakers (30-34), who lost for only the second time in six games, were mired by spotty shooting: The team was just 24 for 64 outside of Davis.
The late stages provided some drama, and the Lakers got as close as three points in the game’s final minutes with the home crowd rising for the occasion. Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, themselves former Timberwolves, had a handful of big moments, including a steal by Vanderbilt that he converted into a free throw with 3:51 left.
Conley (14 points) and Gobert helped close it out for Minnesota (33-32), making three of the team’s final four field goals. Edwards added 19 points. Minnesota also outscored the Lakers 38-27 in bench points.
Davis started with a…
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