Lakers vs Timberwolves Timeline: Can Minnesota Dethrone LA?

Three years ago, a Timberwolves fan circling Lakers games on their calendar would have gotten some strange looks.

Now? Those games are appointment viewing.

Minnesota has beaten Los Angeles four times over the past two seasons.

Anthony Edwards is playing at a level that makes him the most dangerous scorer the Lakers face outside of Oklahoma City.

And the head-to-head record, while still tilted toward LA, is closing faster than most people expected.

Lakers vs Timberwolves Timeline

Here’s the full Lakers vs Timberwolves timeline — the games, the numbers, how each team is built to beat the other, and where this goes from here.

2025–26 Season Results: Game by Game

The Lakers lead the season series 3–2. But read past that scoreline and the picture gets more complicated.

Three of those five 2025–26 games were decided by six points or fewer.

The October 29 game — a one-point Lakers win in Minnesota — came down to a late Reaves bucket with the shot clock winding down.

The kind of possession that could just as easily have gone the other way.

Only the March 10 game felt comfortable for Los Angeles. Dončić was in control from the opening tip, and the Lakers never let Minnesota find a rhythm.

That’s the version of this matchup the Lakers need to produce in April. The one-possession grind-it-out version is a lot harder to count on.

All-Time Head-to-Head Record (2011–2026)

The historical ledger still belongs to the Lakers — but recent seasons have redrawn what that means.

That 22-game winning streak between 2007 and 2012 is the clearest illustration of what this matchup used to look like.

The Timberwolves weren’t close to competing with those Lakers teams — not with Kobe and Pau Gasol running a championship-caliber operation on both ends.

Since 2023, Minnesota has won about 65% of its meetings with LA. That’s not a blip. That’s a team that has figured out how to beat its opponent and keeps doing it.

The Rivalry in Three Chapters

Chapter 1: One-Sided Dominance (1990s–2018)

The early history of this matchup was straightforward. The Lakers were either title favorites or rebuilding toward their next run.

The Timberwolves had Kevin Garnett — genuinely one of the best players of his era — but rarely a complete enough roster to compete with Los Angeles consistently.

When Garnett was traded in 2007, Minnesota entered a prolonged rebuild. The Lakers kept winning. The gap widened.

By the time the Kobe era wound down in the mid-2010s, this rivalry barely registered as one.

Chapter 2: LeBron Takes Over, LA Returns to Form (2019–2022)

LeBron joining the Lakers in 2018 changed the franchise’s trajectory almost overnight. The 2020 championship confirmed it.

Anthony Davis, beside him, gave the team a two-way presence that made them hard for anyone to handle.

Meanwhile, Minnesota was still developing. Towns was excellent. Wiggins had his moments. Edwards arrived in 2020 and showed flashes.

But the Timberwolves vs Lakers timeline in these years still reads as a mismatch. LA closed out games. Minnesota found ways to lose them.

Chapter 3: The Balance Shifts (2023–Present)

This is the chapter that changes the whole story.

Edwards became a franchise player faster than almost anyone predicted.

Gobert joined via trade and immediately made Minnesota’s defense the most physically imposing in the conference.

McDaniels developed into a genuine two-way wing. And suddenly, the Timberwolves had a starting five capable of competing with — and beating — anyone in the West.

Their 2025 Play-In game against the Lakers added real postseason stakes to the rivalry for the first time in over two decades. Minnesota won. That result mattered.

Why These Matchups Are So Hard to Predict?

What the Lakers Do Well Against Minnesota

Los Angeles creates mismatches. Dončić draws smaller defenders and dissects pick-and-roll coverages. Davis pulls Gobert away from the basket with face-up scoring.

LeBron — even late in his career — makes the right read in late-game situations more reliably than almost anyone.

When the Lakers’ stars are all contributing, Minnesota doesn’t have clean answers. The problem is keeping all three effective across 48 minutes against a defense this physical.

What Minnesota Does Well Against the Lakers

The Timberwolves make the Lakers work. Everything. Every possession, every drive, every mid-range look.

Gobert’s presence near the rim changes shot selection for Davis and forces the Lakers into more perimeter-heavy offense. Edwards guards whoever the Lakers want to feature, and he’s physical enough to make it uncomfortable.

Off the bench, Naz Reid gives Minnesota a reliable offensive option who doesn’t need much to get going.

His 22-point game in February came with relatively little shot creation — he just made open looks and interior touches count.

The Austin Reaves Problem

Minnesota has no consistent answer for Reaves.

He’s too good off screens to leave him open, too physical for smaller guards to contain, and calm enough in clutch situations to make big shots when the defense shifts to stop Dončić.

His 28-point performance in the one-point road win is the clearest example — but it’s not a one-off. He’s shown up in this series more than once.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who leads the head-to-head series all time?

The Lakers lead 34–22 in regular-season wins since 2011. But since 2023, Minnesota has won the majority of its matchups — roughly 65% in that stretch.

• When have these teams met in the playoffs?

Their most significant postseason meetings were the 2004 Western Conference Finals and the 2025 Play-In Tournament, which Minnesota won.

• Who are the most important players in this rivalry?

For LA: Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James. For Minnesota: Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Jaden McDaniels.

• How does Gobert affect Anthony Davis specifically?

Gobert’s presence forces Davis to work harder for interior scoring and takes away easy drop-off passes. Davis can counter with mid-range shooting, but Gobert limits the most efficient paths to the basket.

• What was the closest game this season?

The October 29 game in Minnesota — a 116–115 Lakers win — was the tightest meeting of the season. Julius Randle and Austin Reaves combined for 61 points.

• Where are these games broadcast?

Nationally on ESPN, TNT, and ABC. Streaming through the NBA app or live TV services like YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream.

April Will Tell Us a Lot

The remaining regular-season games between these teams have playoff seeding implications for both sides.

Depending on how the West shakes out, a first-round series between the Lakers and Timberwolves is a realistic possibility — and would be one of the most competitive first-round matchups in years.

The full Lakers vs Timberwolves timeline runs from complete Lakers domination to genuine uncertainty about who the better team is right now.

That shift didn’t happen overnight. It happened because Minnesota built something real, and because Edwards turned into the kind of player who changes a franchise’s ceiling.

Whether LA can hold them off — in the standings and potentially in a playoff series — is the most interesting question left in their 2025–26 season.

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