Traditionally, Kobe Bryant has enjoyed playing against Minnesota: he has yet to lose to them in 17 tries in the span of five years, the longest active winning streak by one team against another.
That streak could come to an end if the Lakers (23-16) continue to drop winnable games away from home. They look to avoid a fourth straight loss on the road visiting the surging Minnesota Timberwolves (21-19) in Friday night’s best game.
The Lakers are a force to be reckoned with when they play at the Staples Center, tied for the second best home record in the league at 17-2 with the Miami Heat.
On the road? They are an abysmal 6-14, the ninth-worst mark in the NBA.
The biggest factor behind the team’s struggles may have something to do with Kobe’s shooting touch: in 20 road games, he has averaged 27.9 points on 24.5 attempts while shooting 39.5% from the field. He makes 47.9% of his shots at home, a stark contrast to his road mark.
Such a disparity between home and away performance makes one thing clear: they will need home court advantage come playoff time. The Clippers currently hold the fourth seed over the Lakers by percentage points.
Or they can look to make a trade to help improve the team as Chris Sheridan would have you believe.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are tied for the eighth seed with Houston and just 1.5 games behind the Lakers. They have won three straight games and aim for their sixth straight win at the Target Center.
Minnesota plays one more at home before going on a difficult seven-game road trip that could help decide their playoff hopes.
Kevin Love may be gunning for player of the week honors or better. Over the past three games, he has averaged 36.7 points on 53.6% field goal including 13-of-23 from the 3-point line, 14.3 rebounds and three assists.
Ricky Rubio is averaging 10.5 points but shoots an abysmal 35.5% from the field. He must find a way to improve his shot as the Timberwolves hold a record of 10-1 when shooting at least 45% from the field as a team.
Nikola Pekovic practiced while J.J. Barea remained inactive.