The Los Angeles Lakers look to end their three-game road trip with a perfect record tonight as they travel to Target Center to play the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers have won 12 straight games against Minnesota, including a 99-94 win at Staples Center on November 9. In Minnesota, the Lakers have won their last five contests, with their last loss coming on March 6, 2007.
Kobe Bryant is scored 64 points in 65 minutes in the first two games of the road trip, and has scored 30 or more points in four of his last five games. At 26.3 points per game, Bryant ranks third in the NBA in scoring this season. Pau Gasol had 25 points and 12 rebounds in the win over the Pistons in Detroit on Wednesday, and has had six straight double-doubles. On the season, Gasol has 10 double-doubles in 12 games. Gasol is 12th in the league averaging 22.9 points per game, and is averaging 12.2 rebounds per game as well. Gasol set a new career high last season with 11.3 rebounds per contest.
The Lakers won the first two games of their road trip in Milwaukee and Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. It was the second set of back-to-back games this season for the Lakers, and the second time they have won both contests.
For the Timberwolves, it has been the Michael Beasley and Kevin Love show of late. Beasley is averaging 32.6 points per game in his last five games, and scored 33 points against the Clippers on Wednesday night, including hitting the game-winning jumper with 2.9 seconds remaining. Love is leading the league in rebounding, at 14.3 points per game, and is scoring 18.9 points per game as well. He had 23 points and 24 rebounds against the Lakers 10 days ago, and followed that up with a 31-point, 31-rebound game against the Knicks, the first 30-30 game in the NBA since 1982.
Tonight's 5 p.m. game will be televised on KCAL
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