Greetings on a very wet Sunday.

The Timberwolves did not hold a shoot-around this morning. So we won't know until before game time tonight whether veteran point guard Mo Williams (back spasms) will be able to play.

The Los Angeles Lakers did hold a workout this morning. Unfortunately Kobe Bryant declined to talk about the milestone he's almost certain to pass tonight. Bryant (32,284 career points) needs nine points to pass Michael Jordan (32,292) into third place on the league's all-time scoring list.

For Lakers coach Byron Scott, he's all for finally getting it all over with. "I mean, when we left for this trip we knew it was going to happen," Scott said. "It was just a matter of when. And our main focus is to try to keep winning games. So, after a good win in San Antonio (an overtime win Friday), we want to keep that going.''

One thing you should see a good bit of tonight, especially down the stretch if it's a close game, is Bryant playing the point guard position. It's something Scott says he likes and something he plans on doing more of. At the point, he said, Bryant can still create his own shot, but he also has the skill to find the open man if he is double-teamed. And he especially likes doing it if Bryant is guarded by the other team's point guard, creating a mismatch.

Meanwhile, Scott talked at some length about the first game between these two teams, the Wolves 120-119 victory in Los Angeles Nov. 28. It was, to listen to Scott, one of his team's worst games this season. "I looked (at the game tape) pretty much right after the game," he said. "And I wasn't happy with it, and I let the guys know the next day how I felt about that game. So we have a pretty good idea what we have to do tonight. It will show how we've grown as a team. After a big win, do we come in here and lay a big one, or come out and really go after it?''

The Lakers come in here having won two straight and four of seven since the loss to the Wolves.

In that Nov. 28 game Wolves rookie Zach LaVine came off the bench to score 28 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Bryant admitted LaVine stunned the Lakers with that performance.

"Yes, he did,'' Scott said. "He played a whole lot better than we anticipated. So won't say we'll be giving him special attention. But he got our attention, let's put it that way.''

LaVine has been playing a lot of point guard out of necessity. It's unclear how much he will play the point when the team is completely healthy. But Scott had some very nice things to say about the rookie. He was asked about the comparison some are making between LaVine and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook.

Does he see similarities? "Yes, I do," Scott said. "He's so young, he's just a pup. Give him a couple more years, then you can probably make those comparisons a little bit more. But right now, from an athletic standpoint, at point guard, I don't think there is a point guard in this league who is more athletic than him."

That's about it for now. I'll get back to you with an injury update before the game.