Lakers Bench Leads Fourth-Quarter Surge in Win over Timberwolves
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
“One of the last things I said to them in the pre-game was we’re going to have to have a bench that produces tonight if we’re going to win this ballgame,” said Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson after his team came from behind to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 111-94. “They were more productive than our starters. They were very effective.”
The Lakers started the fourth quarter trailing by 10 points with Jordan Farmar, Maurice Evans, Andrew Bynum, Sasha Vujacic, and Vladimir Radmanovic, all reserves, in the game. Minnesota increased its lead to 89-77 on a pair of free throws 14 seconds in to the quarter. The Lakers then reeled off nine straight points: a hook shot by Radmonovic, a fadeaway jumper by Evans, a three-pointer by Vujacic, and a layup by Evans cut the Timberwolves’ lead to three points.
Mark Blount sank a 19-footer to put Minnesota up by five, but the Lakers came back with 16 straight points. Radmanovic hit a three-pointer and Evans an outside jumper to tie the game with 7:49 to play.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves had trouble finding the basket after having shot at a 61.7 percent rate from the field through the first three quarters. Nearly two-thirds of their points on field goals were in the paint. Jackson credits the presence of Bynum with stopping Minnesota’s inside game in the final quarter. “Andrew Bynum got a couple blocks and changed a couple shots, rebounded the misses, and that changed the defense for us.”
Even the return of Kevin Garnett for Minnesota with 7:21 to go could not slow the Lakers, who outscored the Timberwolves, 25-2, over a span of seven-and-a-half minutes. Meanwhile, Jackson kept his starters on the bench. “You gotta ride the momentum that the team had created out there,” he said. “They had done it themselves out there.”
Minnesota finally got another point when Garnett made one of two free throws with 3:25 to play. At this point, two of the Lakers starters, Kobe Bryant and Smush Parker, came in for Vujacic, who had three points and two rebounds, and Farmar, who had a field goal and six assists during the run.
The Timberwolves made only two of 19 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter as they scored only seven points, matching a franchise record for fewest points in a quarter. Of the Lakers’ 34 points in the period, only one was on a free throw. Los Angeles made 14 of 19 shots from the field, including five of seven from three-point range.
Both teams shot well in the first quarter, which ended with a 50-foot bank shot by Ricky Davis at the buzzer to put the Timberwolves ahead, 29-26. The game remained close through the second quarter, which ended with the Lakers holding a 59-57 lead. Garnett had 18 points while Bryant led his team with 16.
The Timberwolves pulled away midway through the third quarter, highlighted by an alley-oop basket by Davis on a perfect feed from Mike James. That made the score 79-71, and the Timberwolves increased the lead to 10.
Garnett ended the third quarter on the verge of a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. However, during his time on the floor in the final period, his teammates made only one field goal. Garnett added one more point and one more rebound to finish the game with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Ricky Davis also had 22 points for the Timberwolves.
Bryant led all scorers with 24 points and had six assists. Radmonavic added 17 points and Evans 15 points.
The Lakers, coming off a loss the night before in Chicago in a game in which they had held an 11-point lead in the third quarter, upped their record to 17-9 while the Timberwolves dropped to 10-12.