NBA highlights on March 10: Davis tears T-Wolves apart in the paint

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-109 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, securing their second straight win.

The Timberwolves lacked their starting big men pair, Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee lateral meniscus tear) and Rudy Gobert (tight hamstring). Naz Reed was added to the starting lineup and he did a good job on the offensive end by shooting 9-for-17 from the field to score 25 points. Nonetheless, despite the four blocks he had, he failed to stop Anthony Davis from dominating the paint or bringing victory to the Lakers.

Davis dropped a double-double of 27 points and 25 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass, which was only one fewer than the whole team of the Timberwolves did. He and LeBron James combined to get 34 points in the paint, making good use of Gobert's absence and leading their side to outscore the opponents 64-44 in this area.

Davis was not only unstoppable offensively, he also contributed three blocks and career-high seven steals. His defensive presence in the paint limited the Timberwolves to shooting 22-for-43 there. The game was close in the first three quarters during which the Timberwolves could continuously make shots outside the 3-point line. However, once they ceased to do so in the fourth period, the team struggled badly to score as they made only two of their 10 field goal (FG) attempts in the paint.

In fact, the Lakers could have sealed the deal earlier on Sunday night because of their obvious advantage on paper. They extended their lead to double digits multiple times in the game, but soon lost it due to their careless handling of the ball. The purple and gold committed as many as 21 turnovers in the game and 18 of them happened in the first three quarters. Such sloppy play translated into 13 fast break points for the opponents.

Once the purple and gold found their focus back in the fourth period and kept it in place, they soon built a 16-point lead (112-96). This time, they managed to shut down the Timberwolves rally, both in the perimeter and toward the rim.

On the Timberwolves' side, Reed had 21 of his 25 points in the first half, but lost his offensive edge from the third quarter when the opponents put a forward, instead of Davis, in front of him. These defenders are shorter than Reed, but they are quick enough to stay close to him and deflect his 3-point shooting. Even if Reed tried to drive in, Davis would be waiting for him in the paint.

As a result, the major offensive load of the Timberwolves went to their young ace Anthony Edwards. He scored 15 points by going 6-for-12 in FGs in the second half. His poor 3-point shooting performance of making only two out of seven attempts held him back. The Timberwolves have been haunted by the lack of a clutch-time scorer for years. So far, Edwards hasn't showed many signs of becoming that solution for the team.

Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):

Milwaukee Bucks 124-117 Los Angeles Clippers

The Bucks secured their second win over the Clippers after their star duo, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, combined to drop 69 points, 14 rebounds and 21 assists at Crypto.com Arena. Antetokounmpo shot 9-for-17 in the paint to get 18 of his 34 points there. Meanwhile, he earned 15 free throws and made 10 of them.

Lillard knocked down seven triples out of 13 attempts for the Bucks in Sunday's game. His side led by only six points (91-85) after the third quarter and the Clippers attacked with aggression in the fourth period. Lillard stepped out for his team by getting 16 points in this quarter alone, outperforming his Clippers' counterpart James Harden completely.

Houston Rockets 112-104 Sacramento Kings

The Rockets claimed their fourth victory out of the past five games after defeating the Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on Sunday. The team had seven players reach double-digit points, led by 22 from Fred VanVleet. It only took him eight FGs, of which he made five, to get these points in addition to nine assists. He went to the free throw line 10 times and didn't miss a single shot there.

However, the serious injury suffered by Alperen Sengun in the fourth quarter soured the Rockets' win. He landed awkwardly on the floor when he tried to deflect a layup by Domantas Sabonis in the final minute and had to exit the game in a wheelchair. According to ESPN, he would undergo a magnetic resonance imaging on his right knee and ankle on Monday.

New Orleans Pelicans 116-103 Atlanta Hawks

Washington Wizards 110-108 Miami Heat

Indiana Pacers 111-97 Orlando Magic

Philadelphia 76ers 79-73 New York Knicks

Brooklyn Nets 120-101 Cleveland Cavaliers

Memphis Grizzlies 93-124 Oklahoma City Thunder