LOS ANGELES Lakers relied on a strong endgame push to beat Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-103, in the 2021-2022 NBA Season on Sunday night (Monday in the Philippines) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Down 82-86 in the fourth period, Carmelo Anthony drilled back-to-back hits followed by consecutive baskets from Malik Monk, Avery Bradley and Russell Westbrook to give the Lakers a 99-93 edge.
The Timberwolves rallied to within 98-99 but a four-point play by Anthony, a basket by Bradley and free throws by Westbrook widened the Lakers’ lead to 108-101 with 38 seconds remaining.
Anthony finished the match with 14 points, with nine coming in the fourth period, as the Lakers notched its second consecutive victory to improve to 19-19 slate.
LeBron James tallied 26 points, Monk chipped in 22 markers, Westbrook contributed 20 points and nine assists while Bradley ended up with 14, six of which came in the fourth quarter for the Lakers.
Naz Reid ended up with double-double 23 points and 11 rebounds to carry the fight for the Timberwolves, which were without stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell due to coronavirus disease 2019 protocols.
Meanwhile, Boston Celtics rode on the career game of Jaylen Brown to eke out a come-from-behind 116-111 overtime win against Orlando Magic at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Down 87-75, Brown singlehandedly carried the Celtics back in the game with consecutive baskets to take a 100-98 lead. Orlando forced an overtime with Tim Frazier’s conversion.
In the extension period, the Celtics surged to a 110-104 advantage on five straight points by Dennis Schroder, a three-pointer from Brown and a layup by Josh Richardson.
The Magic made its last push at 109-110 on a basket by Terrence Ross but a three-pointer by Al Horford and two free throws by Schroder sealed the win for the Celtics.
Brown finished the match with career-high 50 points, including five triples, while he completed his double-double with 11 rebounds as the Celtics improved to 18-19.
BOX SCORE:
LOS ANGELES 108 — James 26, Monk 22, Westbrook 20, Anthony 14, Bradley 14, Horton-Tucker 6, Ariza 3, Reaves 2, Johnson 1.
MINNESOTA 103 — Reid 23, Edwards 18, Nowell 17, Beasley 16, Beverley 12, McDaniels 7, Knight 4, Vanderbilt 3, Prince 3, McLaughlin 0.
Quarterscores: 31-24, 57-54, 78-80, 108-103./PN
