They announced tonight's Target Center crowd at 20,200, or the season's largest and the all-time fifth biggest if there weren't a healthy smattering of empty seats.
Still, iit was a big crowd -- especially by this season's standards -- who came to see the Lakers only visit this season, with just three games remaining.
They came wearing gold Lakers t-shirts and No. 24 jerseys, but never got a chance to see Kobe Bryant, who missed his second game in as many nights because of swelling in his knee.
Andrew Bynum remains out and Al Jefferson didn't play, either. He missed a second straight game to be with a female relative hospitalized in the Twin Cities, a team spokesman said.
Even without Bryant, the Lakers led by as many as 18 late in the second quarter, but the Wolves reversed that with a big third quarter, then got within four points three times late in the game.
The last came in the final three minutes, but Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom answered in a closing 9-4 run that clinched for the Lakers the Western Conference No. 1 playoff seed.
Gasol compensated for Bryant's absence with a 29-point, 15-rebound night.
Odom provided the evening's best line.
Afterward, a TV cameraman turned on his light and began asking Odom a question.
Odom stopped the guy and asked him to wait until he was dressed.
"I don't take my shirt off for anybody but the E! Network," said the forward otherwise known as Mr. Khloe Kardashian.
Other couple tidbits:
* Kevin Love is averaging 18 rebounds in his two starts with Al out of the lineup. He played a season-high 39 minutes a day after he acknowledged he has sulked at times with his reserve's role.
Asked if it was obvious Love pouted at times, Wolves coach Kurt Rambis asked, "You think?"
* Jonny Flunn matched a career (or season, whichever you prefer) high by making five threes Friday.
He has made three or more three threes seven times this season, three of those times in the last five games.
* Love tied Big Al for the team lead with his 35th double-double of the season.
* Darko Milicic's three blocked shots were the eight times in 21 games that has had two or more blocks. Only Jefferson (92) and Ryan Hollins (37) have more blocks than Milicic's 30 since he joined the team at the February trade deadline.
That's all for tonight.
Looks like Jefferson might accompany the team to New Orleans tomorrow for the season's final road trip, but that's not for certain.
Here's the game story from tonight:
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