Timberwolves just what doctor ordered
Maybe the Los Angeles Lakers' issues aren't that bad.
They suited up only one center, their top player was battling stomach flu, and they had to walk to the game in blizzard conditions because their bus never arrived, but they still beat the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-95, Tuesday in an eerily empty Target Center.
Teams cruising through Minnesota this season will leave with a victory much more often than not. In the Los Angeles Lakers' case, it came with an added boost of confidence after a 2-5 skid.
Kobe Bryant reminded everyone he was one of the most durable, if not determined, athletes in the league, scoring 20 points in 29 minutes while fighting nausea and physical fatigue that would have sidelined many other players.
In fact, Andrew Bynum sat out because of stomach flu, which forced Chris Mihm into the starting lineup as the Los Angeles Lakers' only center -- and he sat out practice a day earlier because of soreness in his surgically repaired right ankle.
He responded with 11 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes against the Timberwolves, who fell to 2-14. He also guarded their top player, Al Jefferson, who had 12 points, several below his 20.1-point average coming into the game.
Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovic were the backup centers, with Odom usually guarding Jefferson when Mihm was on the bench.
Besides Andrew Bynum being out, Kwame Brown was not on the two-game trip (sprained left knee and ankle) and Ronny Turiaf was back in Los Angeles while recovering from a concussion.
Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant saw a doctor earlier in the day, and were diagnosed with similar ailments.
"It's tough, but as the leader of this ballclub, you've got to be able to come out and play through that, set the tone early," Kobe Bryant said. "It's just a challenge. Another challenge. You do whatever it is you have to do to get yourself ready to play."
It looked as if Kobe Bryant wouldn't be himself when he walked to the bench, coughed a few times and asked for water while the Timberwolves shot free throws at the other end. The game wasn't even four minutes old at the time.
But Kobe Bryant scored 13 points in the first quarter and was spry enough to draw a technical foul for yelling at referee Joe Forte about a traveling call. He also uncorked a 360-degree dunk in the second quarter after Javaris Crittenton fed him on a breakaway after a steal. The Los Angeles Lakers led at the time, 60-44.
"It's just Kobe-ish," said trainer Gary Vitti, in his 24th season with the Los Angeles Lakers. "We couldn't get him out of bed [earlier] to get the fluids into him that we wanted to. He roughed it."
Then Vitti tapped his temple.
"He's got it here," Vitti said. "It's all mental. Always has been."
Kobe Bryant declined treatment with IV fluids, although Andrew Bynum needed them during the game, which he tried to watch from the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room. His status is unknown for tonight's game in Denver.
Very few fans were at Target Center for tipoff because of snowy conditions that slowed the city to a crawl. The early-game atmosphere was reminiscent of a high school championship game in a cavernous arena with only a smattering of fans in attendance.
"Hey fans, thanks for braving the weather!" the public-address announcer exclaimed midway through the first quarter, drawing a round of cheers from the crowd -- if there were enough people on hand to even be considered a crowd.
The Los Angeles Lakers also got caught up in the weather worries when their bus failed to arrive at the team hotel, forcing them outside for a brief walk to the arena, snow and all.
They eventually made it, and just about all of them contributed one way or another.
Sasha Vujacic was sharp from outside with a 16-point outburst, Trevor Ariza scored a season-high 15 points and Javaris Crittenton provided a brief flash-forward to the future, compiling six points and three assists in 12 minutes.
Luke Walton had 10 points in his first start since Nov. 6, when the season was only four games old.
Kobe Bryant didn't play the fourth quarter, beginning his quest for rest a quarter early before the team boarded its flight toward the high altitude of Denver.
"It was good to hold the lead and not have to expend too much energy," he said. "We know we have to be ready for a Denver team that plays dramatically different at home versus on the road."
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