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The LA Lakers took care of business against the sluggish Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, blowing them out 127-91. Anthony Davis missed the game with a calf strain but they didn't need the seven-time NBA All-Star's services to seal the deal here. Karl-Anthony Towns was also missing with a wrist issue.
The tempo of the game was decided in the first quarter itself where the LA Lakers dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves 40-23. The Purple and Gold held on to their advantage from there on out to improve to a 2-1 record while handing the Timberwolves their first loss of the season.
The game was impacted by the key names both positively and negatively. Some rose to the occasion while others capitulated. On that note, let us look at the five hits and flops as the LA Lakers mauled the Minnesota Timberwolves.
#1 Hit: Kyle Kuzma (LA Lakers)
Kyle Kuzma has been impressive from the field to start the 2020-21 season and his offense was in full flow against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Taking the place of AD in the lineup, Kuzma made the most of the opportunity and went off for 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. In fact, 14 of these came in the first quarter itself.
Kuzma also managed three blocks and ended the night with a plus-minus rating of 38. He's already starting to justify the $40 million extension he signed with the LA Lakers prior to opening night and Frank Vogel will be hoping that he can build from here.
#2 Flop: D'Angelo Russell (Minnesota Timberwolves)
With Karl-Anthony Towns out of the picture, the Minnesota Timberwolves needed D'Angelo Russell to step up to the plate and lead his side to victory. Unfortunately, he just couldn't get the better of the LA Lakers defense.
Russell ended the game with four points on 2-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes. To compound his misery, he had seven turnovers. He looked out of ideas on the second night of a back-to-back and couldn't get his teammates involved either.
Also read: Portland Trail Blazers vs LA Lakers Prediction: Combined Starting 5
#3 Hit: Marc Gasol (LA Lakers)
![Marc Gasol [Image: NBA.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/12/95a7e-16091357021443-800.jpg)
After two rough outings to start the season, Marc Gasol finally came through for the LA Lakers and almost had a triple-double against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gasol managed 12 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. He went 100% from the field and even managed four blocks on the other end of the court.
Gasol was brought in by the LA Lakers to improve the ball movement and he showed that their investment isn't a bad one. He'll be hoping to build on this.
#4 Flop: Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
After showing huge potential offensively the other night, Anthony Edwards flattered to deceive against the LA Lakers. His conditioning looked weak as he relied more on jumpers instead of trying to drive to the cup. The LA Lakers' tall lineup also forced him to take bad shots.
At the end of the day, the rookie had 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting. Interestingly, he led the Minnesota Timberwolves in scoring despite shooting 11% from downtown and that just summarizes their overall performance on the night.
#5 Hit: LeBron James (LA Lakers)
![LeBron James [Image: NBA.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/12/ef8a2-16091350685767-800.jpg)
LeBron James played only 26 minutes but that was enough for him to lead the LA Lakers side to a comfortable spot. He managed 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists against the Minnesota Timberwolves. These are poor numbers by his standards but with the rest of the team getting into the mix and producing numbers on both ends of the court, this was more than enough.
LeBron James had another ankle scare towards the end of the second quarter but he got back up soon enough and put the finishing touches after halftime to decide the game.
