Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves loss to Los Angeles Lakers

Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up to block a shot by Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up to block a shot by Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Timberwolves fell to 2-1 with a dispiriting, blowout loss to an Anthony Davis-less Los Angeles Lakers squad on Sunday night.

The Minnesota Timberwolves found out shortly before Sunday’s game that they would be without Karl-Anthony Towns. And that was the start of the downward spiral.

Towns missed the game and is officially week-to-week with a dislocated wrist. But the Lakers were without Anthony Davis and the Wolves were otherwise healthy, minus Jaylen Nowell.

But the Wolves allowed Kyle Kuzma to go nuts in the opening moments of the game and didn’t show much fight at all on the second night of a back-to-back. The defending champions built up a double-digit lead early in the first quarter and never looked back.

The game was marked by a lack of defensive effort and an inability to make open shots, both on the perimeter and at the rim. Anthony Edwards shot just 6-of-21 from the floor and D’Angelo Russell had four points, three assists, and seven turnovers in just 21 minutes as the Wolves struggled to find anything resembling an identity sans Towns.

The Wolves need to bounce back in a big way on Tuesday against the LA Clippers, who were just blown out by 51 points on Sunday against the Mavericks.

Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades

Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players

Josh Okogie played only 11 minutes before leaving with what appeared to be a serious injury late in the second quarter. The Timberwolves PR team announced that he was only suffering from cramping, however, keeping an already terrible evening from turning any worse.

Jake Layman and Juancho Hernangomez each played their best individual games of the young season so far, which isn’t saying a whole lot.

Layman received the start once again and finished with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting with three rebounds in 15 minutes. Hernangomez started the second half and had six points (2-of-5 shooting), five rebounds, and a block.

Naz Reid started in Towns’ place and had a rough night. His line of 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 28 minutes looks okay, but it took him 13 shots to get his points and he again struggled defensively and on the glass.

Jarred Vanderbilt and rookie Jaden McDaniels each saw the floor for the first time this year, with Vanderbilt making himself known defensively and on the boards and McDaniels knocking down a pair of corner threes.

Ed Davis and Jordan McLaughlin also saw the floor for the Wolves, the latter of whom was making his season debut.

Up Next for the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves have Monday off in Los Angeles ahead of taking on the Clippers on Tuesday night. LA will be looking to bounce-back after they were embarrassed in even worse fashion than the Wolves on Sunday.