The shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers have been scrapping and fighting to stay competitive in games and coming off a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers there was more urgency to bounce back against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers have been hit hard by injuries and ruled out several players in addition to LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Los Angeles was also down Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent, leaving the guard rotation incredibly thin. Head coach JJ Redick has been forced to lean on the end of his bench to give his starters rest, but against the Timberwolves that would be a challenge.