The Lakers will have their full rotation back for only the third game this season when they head to Minnesota to take on the dysfunctional Timberwolves. Brandon Ingram is set to rejoin the team after serving his four-game suspension from participating in the last week’s fracas with the Houston Rockets. The Lakers got back point guard Rajon Rondo after his suspension was lifted in their last contest, a 110-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. With the team getting back the services of two of their more prominent contributors, head coach Luke Walton has the taxing dilemma of figuring out who will now be left out of the starting lineup. The Lakers decided to stick with Lonzo Ball as their starting point guard despite Rondo’s solid play prior to the suspension, and in Ingram’s absence both Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart have displayed promising on-court chemistry with LeBron James. While going 2-2 in Ingram’s absence, the Lakers’ offense has hummed with the spacing Kuzma and Hart have offered James once he sucked in opposing defenses. However, the team’s perimeter defense has been severely exploited, specifically when matched up with DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs. Prior to his suspension, Ingram looked to have come into the new season with a new dedication to making an impact on the defensive end, with encouraging early results. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Lakers were allowing a 107 defensive rating (how many points their opponents would score per 100 possessions) when Ingram was on the floor in the two games he appeared in, and a 114.6 rating when he was off. Ingram seemingly had begun figuring out how to use his absurd wingspan functionally, utilizing his length to get into passing lanes and alter shots. Although it’s only a small sample, opponents were shooting only 37 percent against Ingram’s contests, which leads the team. On the Timberwolves’ end, one only needs to see that Jimmy Butler is still employed by the team to figure out how the start of their season is going. Currently posting the same 2-4 record as the Lakers, the team enters Monday’s matchup losers of their previous two games, including a 30-point blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in their last contest. Butler, who has publicly made his disgruntlement with the team for their unwillingness to trade him known by all, scored only four points in 24 minutes in the loss to Miami. On the season, the Timberwolves have been noticeably poor on the defensive end, and are currently in possession of the 26th-worst defensive rating in the NBA (115.6). The team has been especially unable to stop opponents at the rim, allowing the sixth-highest field goal percentage within four feet (66.9 percent) in the league. For the Lakers, a team who up to this point have been unable to find their outside shooting stroke, could and should look to exploit the Wolves’ soft underbelly. The purple and gold have made an absolute living in the paint this season, ranking first in the league in frequency of attempts at the rim and third in finishing those looks. With a favorable matchup against a team who is currently in disarray, plus Ingram’s return, the Lakers will hopefully get a jolt in the arm on Monday and get back to their winning ways after letting a game slip away on Saturday. Time: 5:00 p.m. PT TV: Spectrum SportsNet, NBA TV Statistics provided by Cleaning the Glass, NBA.com. You can follow this author on Twitter at @AlexmRegla.<doc-sep>Here is what you need to know before the Lakers pay a visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves. 1) LeBron’s doing it all In addition to being the best player in the NBA, LeBron James is also known for having the most complete skill set. That all-around game has been clear during his first six games with the Lakers, which have included five double-doubles and one triple-double. So far, he has averaged 24.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals — ranking among the NBA’s top 10 in each category but boards. While James’ 3-point shooting has yet to come around (20.0 percent), he has been excellent inside the arc, both at the rim (70.9) and from mid-range (57.9). LeBron’s combination of passing and scoring is best on display when he calls his own number off the backboard, which he has done twice in the last three games. LeBron digging into his bag of tricks early on tonight.#LakeShow (: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/fDYTiZn8RV — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 28, 2018 2) B.I. is back Reinforcements are coming in the form of Brandon Ingram, who is done serving a four-game suspension. It is unknown whether the 21-year-old will resume his spot in the starting lineup or come off the bench for the first time since his rookie season. Ingram was off to a solid start through two games, averaging 14.0 points on 52.2 percent shooting. But, like LeBron, he hadn’t found success with his 3-point shooting, as he had missed all five of his attempts from deep. The same could not be said for Ingram’s work inside the arc, where he hit 12-of-18 in his first couple games. Using that 7-foot-3 wingspan, he was automatic inside the paint, where he started 9-of-10. Ingram flaunted his length in other ways, including while hunting down rebounds and jumping into passing lanes. Much of his further development will hinge on using that gift to his advantage. Welcome back pic.twitter.com/3MxHPMcm8I — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 29, 2018 3) Wolves are looking to regain their footing Minnesota should come in with some extra motivation after getting blasted by Milwaukee by 30 points on Friday. The Timberwolves shot just 32.1 percent as a team, losing their second straight game without Andrew Wiggins, whose status is considered questionable against the Lakers. However, they do have plenty of firepower, led by Jimmy Butler. While Butler’s recent issues with his front office has been well-documented, he has maintained his impressive two-way play, averaging 20.6 points and a league-leading 3.4 steals. Butler is joined by fellow Third Team All-NBA selection Karl-Anthony Towns, plus a solid supporting cast that includes Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose. Injury Report Lakers: Moe Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Alex Caruso are all on G League assignment. Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins (right quad contusion) is questionable. Justin Patton (right foot) is out. Tip-Off: 5 p.m. PT TV: Spectrum SportsNet in L.A. NBA TV nationally Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW Unis: Gold Icon Location: Target Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves provided fans with one of the most entertaining games of the night on Monday as the two Western Conference playoff contenders went back and forth all night long. With this game coming down to the wire, fans saw the best that both teams had to offer on both ends of the floor as each side badly wanted this win to help improve their overall record in the early portion of the regular season. In the end, the Timberwolves came away with a 124-120 win at the Target Center over LeBron James and company.<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Lakers dropped another tough game, this time to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the grades for the performance aren’t pretty. The Los Angeles Lakers were back at full strength Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, being at full strength didn’t help as they lost yet another close game. The Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 124-120. Los Angeles entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead, but they were not able to hold onto that lead. It was one two and a half minute stretch in the fourth quarter that did the Lakers in, as the Timberwolves rattled off a 14-4 run. That was the largest deficit faced in the game and ultimately proved too much to overcome. As they have done too often this season, the Lakers did themselves in. Their defensive effort was inconsistent and they couldn’t rebound the basketball to close out possessions. Their shooting percentages weren’t great, either. Six Lakers scored in double-figures, but that wasn’t enough to outscore the Timberwolves. Minnesota got the stops and timely baskets, having just enough to knock off the Lakers on their home court. Karl-Anthony Towns picked an unfortunate time to have his best game of the season, as he scored 25 points with 16 rebounds, six assists, one steal and four blocks. Jimmy Butler led the way for Minnesota with 32 points, including 15 points in the fourth quarter, which all came on 3-pointers. He added six rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks to round out a strong night. This was yet another tough loss for the Lakers, as it was their third consecutive loss by four points or less. Once they build their chemistry and learn to play with each other, these are games that could easily turn into victories. Let’s take an in-depth look at the game against the Timberwolves. Here are some grades for the Lakers.<doc-sep>
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 06: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers as he drives to the basket in the second half of the game at Staples Center on April 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) The Los Angeles Lakers finish up their road trip with a visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another heart-breaking defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday evening. The Lakers lost 110-106, their second close encounter with the Spurs this season. They will look to get back into the win column tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is the first of four matchups between the two teams this season. Last season, the Timberwolves handled the Lakers with ease. Minnesota won all four matchups, including three blowouts. The Lakers and Timberwolves come into tonight’s matchup with identical 2-4 records. Both teams have also lost heading into the game, as Minnesota got their doors blown off by the Milwaukee Bucks. Los Angeles will be back to full strength for the game tonight. Brandon Ingram will return from his four-game suspension after Rajon Rondo returned from his three-game suspension on Saturday night. The Lakers went 2-2 without Ingram in the lineup. Getting him back will lengthen their rotation and give the Lakers another scoring option. Minnesota has struggled on the defensive end, much like the Lakers, so there should be plenty of offense tonight. The Jimmy Butler saga has carried into the regular season for Minnesota, as well. Butler asked for a trade, but that request has not been met. It has made for some awkwardness, as Butler clearly doesn’t want to be there. The biggest issue for Minnesota, however, is Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns signed a massive contract extension in the offseason and has not come close to living up to the hype, averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. The offensive stats would all be career-lows for Towns. Meanwhile, the Lakers have JaVale McGee producing a career season at the center position. They will be one of the matchups to watch throughout the night. Timberwolves’ forward Andrew Wiggins is questionable for the game. If he is sidelined, the Lakers will have a huge advantage on the wing with rookie Josh Okogie stepping into the lineup for Wiggins. Game Info Date: October 29th, 2018 Start time: 8 pm ET, 5 pm PT Location: Los Angeles, California Stadium: Staples Center TV Info: NBA TV, SpecSN, FSNTH Radio: 710 AM ESPN / 1330 AM ESPN DEPORTES, 830 WCCO Live Stream: FuboTV Another game, another night that the Lakers are predicted to be in a close game by Las Vegas. Oddsmakers believe this game will essentially be a toss-up, and we would agree. If the Timberwolves are healthy, they should have a slight advantage at home. However, if Wiggins is sidelined, the Lakers will have a distinct advantage. Spread: Lakers +1 or EVEN Total: 230.5 or 231 Moneyline: Lakers -110 up to +102, Timberwolves -117 up to -110 Projected Starting Lineups Lakers PG: Lonzo Ball SG: Josh Hart SF: Brandon Ingram PF: LeBron James C: JaVale McGee Timberwolves PG: Jeff Teague SG: Josh Okogie (If Andrew Wiggins can’t go) SF: Jimmy Butler PF: Taj Gibson C: Karl-Anthony Towns