Preview: Don't look now, but these aren't your granddaddies' Lakers. Kobe Bryant has ridden off into retirement and these Lakers are young, athletic and … winning. Or at least more than the past couple of seasons. They were 6-4 and winners of five of six, including 126-99 at New Orleans on Saturday night. … The Wolves won the 2015-16 season series 3-1, winning once at home, once in Los Angeles and losing 119-115 in their series' final game Feb. 2 in L.A. … The Lakers already have beaten Golden State handily, and Thursday they overcame a 19-point deficit to win at Sacramento by 10.
Players to watch: The Lakers have two of the top bench scorers in the league, with Lou Williams averaging 16.4 points per game after scoring 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting Saturday and Jordan Clarkson averaging 15.1 ppg after scoring 23 on 8-for-12 shooting.
Injuries: Wolves C Nikola Pekovic (ankle) is out for the season. Lakers C Ivica Zubac (sore back) sat out Saturday.
JERRY ZGODA
