Timberwolves hang on to beat Lakers 110-102

LOS ANGELES – The Timberwolves likely aren't above .500 on the season if their point guard doesn't hit big shots in crucial moments of fourth quarters.

Except that point guard for most the season, D'Angelo Russell, was on the opposing bench Friday night sitting out because of an ankle injury.

But the point guard the Wolves traded for to take his place, Mike Conley, filled that void in a 110-102 Wolves victory over the Lakers.

It has been a choppy start scoring-wise for Conley's tenure with the Wolves. But when the Wolves badly needed buckets Friday night, Conley delivered. First, he hit a three-pointer to put the Wolves up six with 1 minute, 13 seconds to play. Then he iced the game with a runner in the lane to put the Wolves up eight with 43.1 seconds left.

He finished with 14 points, with the last five being the most important he has scored so far for the Wolves.

"Honestly, those are shots in my career I'm used to taking and making," Conley said. "... Those are plays I'm used to making. I want to make them more and relieve some pressure off the guys."

The pressure had been building during the fourth quarter when the Wolves nearly relinquished what was once a 14-point lead earlier in the quarter. The Lakers cut it to three multiple times, but the Wolves, like they did Tuesday against the Clippers, were able to string together enough baskets and stops for the victory.

Nights like Friday's don't come easy for this team, and Conley said perhaps something was beginning to build.

"We're starting to grow as far as the resilience," Conley said. "We had a tough whistle there for a little bit and previous two, three games, we might have exploded mentally and been all about the refs and not focused on the game and realizing a 10-point lead is now a five-point lead."

But they didn't collapse. They overcame a big night from Anthony Davis, who had 38 points as he became the Lakers' focal point in lieu of an injured LeBron James.

"It's almost like we get déjà vu in those situations and that's called experience," Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. "Learning from the pain of losing. You learn and then you have a little more focus and a little more urgency in those situations."

The Wolves had one of their most complete performances, as their bench helped erase an early deficit and give them the lead through the second and third quarters. Naz Reid finished with 15 points while Taurean Prince added 13.

"Every game when we get up and get into the third or fourth quarter, teams are going to make their runs. We just got to sustain it," Prince said. "Show maturity and growth in those areas and you're able to weather the storm and still do what we're going to do to navigate our way through the game."

They got in the position they were in the fourth quarter because Gobert shook off a tough first shift to have a commanding performance in the paint at both ends. Gobert finished with a team-high 22 points and 14 rebounds and helped slow Davis down after Davis scored 16 in the first quarter.

"Offensively, he was aggressive, taking his chances out there," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. "I think when we flipped the matchup back, it was a little bit more comfortable for him. He wasn't always in a help position and coming over and getting the fouls. He was more of a primary defender. I think that's where he's at his best."

Anthony Edwards had a quiet night by his standards with 19 points, but that doesn't mean he was silent when it mattered. For instance, when the Lakers blitzed Edwards late, he made an easy pass to Gobert in the middle of the floor. The Wolves had a four-on-three situation.

Gobert then found an open Conley on the right wing for the big three. Conley was then able to take advantage of the attention the Lakers were paying Edwards when he faked a dribble handoff to him and drove the lane for the floater.

"That's been his biggest growth in that area," Conley said. "He knows he can score. We all know he can score. Late game they're going to try and take you away. Coach has been talking about it in film. Showed a couple clips last game and I'm sure there's some this game where he just made the easy play."

But it was all on Conley to make the shots. Finch said he joked with Conley that whenever he played the Wolves before the trade, his floaters always seemed to go in. Now that he was on the Wolves, they suddenly weren't falling.

"That floater that has been killing me for years doesn't seem to be working," Finch said. "But he got it working tonight."

Conley has been working at trying to be more aggressive in finding his scoring. The Wolves brought him in to be a pass-first point guard in a style that is different from Russell. But Friday showed they could really use the boost he provides when he scores.

"I'm an unselfish person by nature. I'll easily just do this and I'll forget, hey I need to shoot, be aggressive and do the other things I'm used to doing."