Timberwolves beat Lakers in pre-season game in London
Thanks to 21 points from Michael Beasley, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a pre-season game last night in London, England. The game is part of the NBA Europe
Live event, where NBA teams play in various European capitals to promote the game outside the U.S. market.
But the British fans who packed the O2 Arena were mostly there to see NBA superstar Kobe Bryant take the court. While they managed to do so, it was only for a few minutes.
Bryant, who admitted after the game that his surgically repaired right knee is only at 60 per cent, played only the first six minutes of the game. He missed all three of his shots and
finished the game with zero points, one rebound, and two assists. And despite chants of "Kobe" raining down from the stands during the second half, imploring the five-time NBA champion to play a few more minutes, the ice was already out.
"We had plans to play Kobe in two segments, but one was enough," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "He iced down at halftime. I probably should have told the PA announcer so he could tell
the crowd."
Bryant, who has only taken part in two practices since the beginning of training camp, said he likely wouldn’t have played at all if the game was in the U.S.
"I had a sense of responsibility to get out there and play for a little bit," he said after the game. "I wanted to get up and get in. But my shoes were already unlaced, and I had ice on
my knees."
The Lakers held a one-point lead going into half-time but a 32-point third quarter by the Timberwolves gave them a 13-point lead heading into the last quarter, which they never relinquished.
In addition to the 21-point performance from newcomer Beasley, the Timberwolves also got solid production from their bench, including 24 points from new addition Martell Webster. The Timberwolves
return this year with a much different team, having kept only five players from last year’s roster.
"I think we surprised everybody tonight," Beasley said. "I don't think anybody thought we would win. It shows our work ethic and our character. That's what we're here to show this year."
The Timberwolves are hoping that Beasley can be a consistent contributor for them this season after two seasons with the Miami Heat.
"You can see Beasley is a very talented player," Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis said. "He's got a lot of enthusiasm and passion. He freelanced a little bit too much for me, but that's the
way he is. He can create his own shots. I expect him to be a major contributor for us this year."
Jackson, whose Lakers are gunning for a three-peat this year, wasn’t happy with how his team played.
"Minnesota looked great. We looked like we just got off vacation," Jackson said.
Forward Lamar Odom led the Lakers with 17 points and six rebounds while point-guard Shannon Brown chipped in 13 off the bench.
Both teams still have one game left to play in Europe, with the Timberwolves playing the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Paris and the Lakers playing FC Barcelona in Spain on Thursday.
Tags: