TIMBERWOLVES RESURRECT

Shoot down LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers after their lethargic loss

Minneapolis — After a lethargic loss in their last game, the Minnesota Timberwolves came to life.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers served as their spark plug.

Jimmy Butler hit five of Minnesota’s eight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish with 32 points on 12-for-20 shooting and help the Timberwolves hang on to beat the Lakers 124-120 on Monday.

“They were playing fast, which made us play with a lot of energy, so I guess their energy kind of helped ours,” Butler said.

Karl-Anthony Towns pitched in 25 points, a season-high 16 rebounds and four blocks for the Timberwolves (3-4), who played some clutch defense just in time to fend off a late push from James. The four-time MVP had 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter after missing his first five shots of the night, but the Lakers (2-5) went back to Los Angeles with another uneven performance.

“We’ve got to get better. We know that. We talk about patience, but we can’t have reoccurrence of doing the same things over and over and over again and expecting a different result,” said James, who added 10 rebounds and seven assists on the 15th anniversary of his professional debut. “That’s insanity.”

Brandon Ingram came back strong from his four-game suspension with 24 points for the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma, after scoring 11 points in the first five minutes, had only eight more over the rest of the night. The Lakers let the Wolves grab a season-high 20 offensive rebounds and committed 18 turnovers. /

AP PASS. Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, right, looks to pass as Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, left, defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves won 124-120.