LOS ANGELES // Kobe Bryant scored a team-high 30 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers rebound from a disappointing loss with a 132-119 win away to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Andrew Bynum powered the Lakers inside with 27 points and 15 rebounds and Pau Gasol had 21 as the Lakers lit up the scoreboard just three days after their 117-110 home loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. "We missed a few assignments and allowed some threes that helped them win that game," Bryant commented on the defeat to Charlotte.
"I felt like defensively (tonight), when we needed to, we made the right plays." The victory improved the Western Conference-leading Lakers to 36-9 and was the first contest of their six-game road trip. Despite Minnesota's record of 16-29, the team has won 10 of 14 games in the month of January under coach Kevin McHale, who took over the squad after Randy Wittman was fired in December. The Minnesota forward Al Jefferson led the way for the home side, scoring a game-high 34 points and grabbed 13 boards in the loss.
Randy Foye added 27 points and five assists for the Timberwolves. Los Angeles took control of the game by outscoring Minnesota 36-25 in the third quarter, which ended with a three-pointer from Trevor Ariza, who returned to action after leaving Tuesday's game with concussion. Bryant tallied 12 points in the period to spark the run and added eight rebounds and five assists. Bynum paced the Lakers early with 17 points in the first half. The seven-footer has been especially effective as of late, averaging 34.6 points in his last five contests.
"He's been unbelievable lately," the Los Angeles forward Luke Walton said of Bynum. "I shouldn't say unbelievable because I've seen him do it in the past but now he's doing it every night. To see him doing these things offensively and defensively is really exciting for our team." *Reuters
