Reaves matched his career high with 16 assists, while Jake LaRavia added 27 points on 10-for-11 shooting and DeAndre Ayton contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
The Lakers built a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and were up 112–101 after a Reaves 3-pointer with 4:01 remaining.
Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 33 points, including the go-ahead finger roll with 10.2 seconds left, before Reaves’ buzzer-beater sealed the game. Jaden McDaniels added 30 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota.
The matchup lacked some star power, with Luka Doncic and LeBron James sidelined for the Lakers and Anthony Edwards out for the Wolves. Still, Reaves—coming off a 51-point performance against Sacramento and 41 against Portland—continued his hot streak.
Edwards, seated on the Wolves’ bench, kept spirits high with animated conversations and light-hearted trash talk toward LaRavia after a few corner 3s.
Despite missing four of their five primary ballhandlers (Doncic, James, Marcus Smart, and Gabe Vincent), the Lakers leaned on Reaves’ playmaking. He effectively ran the pick-and-roll with Ayton and found open shooters like LaRavia and Dalton Knecht, who finished with 15 points.
The Lakers visit Memphis on Friday, while the Timberwolves head to Charlotte on Saturday.
