Minnesota Timberwolves Fourth Quarter Burn Out Leads To Loss Against Lakers

The first half of the game for the Minnesota Timberwolves was promising; the second half was just a slow fade. The Wolves were outscored 23-15 in the fourth quarter and that resulted in a 104-91 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dec 20, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Nick Young (0) and center Robert Sacre (50) defend Minnesota Timberwolves point guard J.J. Barea (11) in the second half of the game at Staples Center. The Lakers won 104-91. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Xavier Henry is the fourth player to start at point guard this season for the demolished Lakers, he scored 21 points and Los Angeles begins another long stretch without star Kobe Bryant.

Bryant is expected to miss at least six weeks after suffering a fractured left knee Tuesday night in Memphis.

Pau Gasol, the only player to start all 26 games for the Lakers, had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Nick Young scored a team-high 25 points off the bench, including a four-point play that gave the Lakers a lead after Corey Brewer fouled him behind the arc with 2:37 left in the third quarter.

Kevin Love scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half and grabbed 13 rebounds for Minnesota, but he was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Nikola Pekovic had 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Brewer scored just five points after missing all eight of his field-goal attempts.

Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio missed the morning shootaround because he wasn’t feeling well. He played 30 minutes, finishing with six points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Lakers Coach Mike D’Antoni used his 11th starting lineup, and Henry shot 8 for 19 and had four assists in 42 minutes.