Pau Gasol was hot in the first quarter, Kobe Bryant shouldered the scoring load in the second quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers took a 53-45 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves into halftime Sunday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. The Lakers have beaten the Timberwolves 15 consecutive times, including each of their last seven games in Minnesota.
Bryant scored 13 points and had eight rebounds in the first half, along the way setting a new Lakers franchise record. Kobe's driving reverse layup with 4:52 remaining in the second quarter gave him 9,936 field goals made in his career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As of halftime, Bryant has made 9,938 field goals in his career.
Kobe's season high for rebounds is 10. Bryant scored 10 of his 13 points in the second quarter. Gasol scored 14 of his 16 points in the first quarter, making six of eight shots from the field. Gasol added four rebounds in the first half. The Lakers shot 53.7% in the first half (22 of 41), including three for six from three-point range.
Kevin Love had 16 points and six rebounds in the first half for Minnesota, who shot 37.5% (18 for 48) from the field. Nikola Pekovic added 11 points and seven boards for the Timberwolves.
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