On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers ended a five-game losing streak with a 106-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game that featured young developing players taking center stage for both teams.
Setting the tone for the evening, Lakers rookie sensation Jordan Clarkson received his Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for the month of March in a short ceremony before the game. Worth noting, Minnesota rookie Andrew Wiggins won the award for the first four months of the season.
Continuing with the season-long theme of young players, the Lakers and Timberwolves combined to start six rookies and two second-year players. Wesley Johnson and Kevin Martin were the only two starters who were at least a couple years removed from college.
As one would expect, the game featured plenty of highlight plays and athletic finishes. As such, this game did not bore nearly as much as others have. Early on, the Lakers' kids started strong by opening with a 14-point lead in the first quarter. However, the Timberwolves managed to shave that deficit to nine points entering the second quarter.
By halftime, the Lakers only led 52-47.
For the Lakers, ball movement ruled the day, as the Lakers had 18 assists on 21 made baskets at halftime. Lakers rookie Jabari Brown, who went undrafted and only recently joined the team to pack a scoring punch, had five assists to lead the pack. Both Clarkson and Wiggins had 12 points to lead all scorers at that point, and the rookie duel would continue into the second half.
Jordan Clarkson gets Nashty http://t.co/5nPpBpIJto https://t.co/ivyuTb0CxK — Silver Screen & Roll (@LakersSBN) April 11, 2015
In the third quarter, the Lakers would rely on second-year Ryan Kelly to launch from deep. Kelly would hit three of four shots from distance and score nine points in the quarter. Kelly would finish with 21 points, which was his season high, to lead the Lakers. Also, Johnson would hit a couple three-pointers in the third quarter, and the Lakers' long-range shooting would help open up an 18-point advantage for the home team.
However, Wiggins would catch the scoring bug and score nine points of his own in the third quarter, which helped the Timberwolves cut the deficit to nine-points entering the fourth quarter.
#Bruh. http://t.co/rDJVU2v8Gz (Vine via @MikeSGallagher) — MN Timberwolves (@MNTimberwolves) April 11, 2015
In the fourth, though, the Lakers would again push forward and open up a 17-point lead. The Timberwolves would rally and cut that lead to single digits, but the Lakers continued to keep distance. Late in the contest, however, Wiggins would turn up the aggression, and the Timberwolves drew within six points with about a minute and a half to play.
Ultimately, the Lakers would hold on in a game that featured plenty of highlights. Wiggins finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Clarkson contributed 18 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals. For the Lakers' colorful rookies, Black managed a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Brown finished with 20 points and seven assists. Kelly finished with 21 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Next, the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Notes: Jeremy Lin missed the second straight game with a sore left knee, but the point guard did on-court work ahead of the game. Earlier in the day, results of an MRI revealed that the point guard had not suffered an injury that would require surgery or necessarily end the season. Lakers coach Byron Scott said Wiggins had his vote for Rookie of the Year.
