LOS ANGELES — Rookie guard Zach LaVine scored 18 of his team-high 28 points off the bench in the second quarter, and Mo Williams had 25 points and 11 assists to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Los Angeles Lakers 120-119 on Friday night. Kobe Bryant missed a 3-pointer as time expired that helped seal the win for Minnesota.
LaVine, the 13th overall pick in the draft out of UCLA, played 25 minutes in his Staples Center debut and made 11 of 14 shots. He was the fifth and last player off the Timberwolves bench as they snapped a three-game losing streak.
Bryant finished with 26 points on 10 for 18 shooting and Nick Young scored 13 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Wesley Johnson had 19 points against his former club and Jeremy Lin had 18 points and 11 assists in the Lakers’ fourth straight loss. Seven of their 13 defeats this season have been by seven or fewer points.
Thaddeus Young had 22 points for the T-Wolves, who have been hit by a recent rash of injuries including Kevin Martin’s broken right wrist and Ricky Rubio’s sprained left ankle. Martin, the team’s leading scorer with a 20.4 average, is sidelined six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery, and the club has gone is 1-3 in his absence. Rubio missed his ninth straight game.
Coach Flip Saunders used his eighth different starting lineup in as many games, and his 10th in 14 games overall. Andrew Wiggins, the top pick in this year’s draft and the only player to start in every game since he was obtained from Cleveland in a three-way trade that sent Kevin Love to the Cavaliers, had three points in 30 minutes.
The Timberwolves, who trailed by as many as 11 points late in the first quarter, pulled ahead 101-100 on a 3-pointer by reserve forward Robbie Hummel with 8:07 to play. Nick Young then went to work, hitting a 20-footer, a 3-pointer, two free throws and back-to-back dunks — all in a 3:26 span — to put the Lakers ahead 115-107 with 5:03 remaining.
Williams’ consecutive 3-pointers tied it at 115 with 3:02 left. Bryant missed both free throws at the other end, and Young banked in a short hook shot to put Minnesota ahead 119-117. Bryant then tied it in a fade away 8-footer over Gorgui Dieng with 5.6 seconds on the clock beforeThaddeus Young made one of two free throws after getting fouled by Nick Young with 2.8 seconds to go.
Johnson then inbounded the ball to Bryant, who had a perfect look from the top of the 3-point arc, but it fell short.
Despite LaVine’s phenomenal 7-minute shooting spree in the second quarter, Los Angeles led 58-54 at halftime with all of their starters except Jordan Hill getting at least nine points.
Bryant, who turned 36 in August, helped the Lakers build a 30-23 lead through one quarter with 12 points and three steals. He brought the sellout crowd to its feet with a stunning between-the-legs crossover against Thaddeus Young that led to a driving layup after Bryant intercepted Young’s pass near midcourt in the final 1 1-2 minutes of the period.
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TIP-INS
Timberwolves: They won three of the four meetings with the Lakers last season, including a 113-90 decision at Los Angeles in November that ended a string of 22 consecutive losses to them. In their 143-107 win over the Lakers in March, the T-Wolves set franchise records for points and field goal percentage (67.1). … Reserve C Ronny Turiaf, who spent his first three NBA seasons with the Lakers, missed his 11th game because of a sore right hip. Last season, he sat out two games against them due to a fractured right elbow and another with a bruised right knee. … Saunders’ teams are 15-32 against the Lakers, his worst mark against any club. Saunders is in his second stint with the T-Wolves after coaching them to eight consecutive playoff berths from 1997 through 2004.
Lakers: Bryant, who missed 76 games last season because of injuries, is 171 points away from surpassing Michael Jordan for third place on the career scoring list.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: At Portland on Sunday.
Lakers: Host Toronto on Sunday.