Lakers Lock Up the West

Nothing like a pick-me-up when it looks like the chips are down. And if nothing else, the Minnesota Timberwolves provided just that, a momentary punching bag that helped to soften the past few weeks for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers held an 18-point halftime lead before cruising in for the 97-88 win. Missing his second consecutive game, Kobe Bryant was not needed tonight as the Lakers locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Pau Gasol (29 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocked shots) led the way as the Lakers improved to 56-23 overall. The Lakers got plenty of assistance on offense as 6 players scored in double figures. Lamar Odom (13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal), Jordan Farmar (13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Ron Artest (11 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal) and Shannon Brown (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot) helped put away the Timberwolves early as they outscored them 21-17 in the first and 31-17 in the second periods.

Minnesota’s struggles continue as head coach Kurt Rambis searches for a group that can remain competitive on the floor. And with leading scorer Al Jefferson out due to a family illness, the T-Wolves had little firepower from the opening tip. Jonny Flynn (19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds) and Kevin Love (12 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) led the Wolves in the first half but rest of the squad was having a difficult time trying to score around the bigger, more formidable front line of the Lakers. Minnesota staged a rally in the second half behind Ramon Sessions (16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist) and Ryan Gomes (15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) as the Lakers came out a tad over-confident and under-enthusiastic. But the outcome was never in doubt as Phil Jackson used his bench for extended minutes, trying to find some rest for the starters. DJ Mbenga (11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) and Sasha Vujacic (7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal) did all of their damage in only 14-minutes of action.

Josh Powell and Luke Walton both registered 19-minutes of action, although neither would score. But the pair would contribute 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. Next up for the Lakers is a Sunday afternoon contest at Staples Center against a possible first round opponent in the Portland Trailblazers. But as has been the case for the last two games, look for Phil Jackson to start pulling his players in an effort to rest them before the playoffs begin.