Wolves move up 2-1 vs Lakers

MANILA, Philippines — The Minnesota Timberwolves turned it up late to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 on Friday, withstanding a vintage performance from LeBron James to take a 2-1 lead in their NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs.

Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high of 30 points and Anthony Edwards added 29 for the Timberwolves, who closed the game on a 13-1 scoring run.

With Slovenian star Luka Doncic slowed by illness, James led the Lakers with 38 points – surpassing the playoff record for a player past his 40th birthday, the 32 points scored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the NBA Finals in 1987.

The teams had split the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Los Angeles. The Timberwolves host Game 4 on Sunday looking to take a 3-1 lead.

James added 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots, drilling a trio of three-pointers in the fourth quarter that helped the Lakers keep it close.

In the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks grabbed their first victories, the Magic holding off the defending champion Boston Celtics 95-93 and the Bucks beating the Indiana Pacers 117-101.