Lakers play better but, minus LeBron James, lose to Minnesota

Less than 24 hours before tip Thursday night, a dejected Anthony Davis sat in the visiting locker room in Chicago after his Lakers struggled in a loss to the Bulls.

No break was coming his team’s way, Davis said, the pathway out of the team’s slump would need to come from within.

Despite rolling his ankle for the second time in two weeks, Davis was on the court Thursday against the Timberwolves, the top team in the West.

But with LeBron James out for the second night in a back-to-back, even a pretty good Lakers performance wasn’t good enough, the team losing its fourth in a row 118-111.

Davis scored 31 and the Lakers were in position deep into the second half, but they could never get enough stops or scores.

Still, in some ways, it was a step forwards, the Lakers finally showing consistent fight and intensity before cooling off in the fourth.

Austin Reaves scored 20, Rui Hachimura had 18 and D’Angelo Russell scored 17, but Minnesota’s size matched with 18 Lakers turnovers kept the team from getting a big road win.

Anthony Edwards scored 27, Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 and Rudy Gobert finished with 13 and 15 and 13 rebounds.

The Lakers were without James, the Lakers’ veteran star sitting out on the second night of a back-to-back as he continues to live on the team’s injury report with a lower leg injury.

The Lakers also kept Gabe Vincent on the bench for the back-to-back after he returned from his knee problems Wednesday.

“That’s one of those things where you just have to be careful,” Ham said pregame of Vincent. “There’s gonna be boundaries and parameters when you try to reintegrate someone that’s been gone that long. It was the same with (Jared Vanderbilt). And not playing in a back-to-back is something that was decided beforehand.”

Short-handed and gassed thanks to a hellacious schedule that’s had the team on the road 11 times in the last 14 games, the Lakers found a level of confidence and intensity its mostly only flashed since winning the in-season tournament.

“By no means do we regret what we were able to do. It’s just something you got to figure out,” Ham said pregame. “It’s new. It created a sort of a whirlwind in terms of travel. But at the end of the day, no one’s gonna feel sorry for you, especially when you’re $500,000 richer.”

The Lakers got paid by winning in Vegas, of course, but there’s been a real cost that’s lingering into its second week.

And Russell has been in the middle of that swoon.

Playing against his former team, he was largely quiet for the second-straight game, scoring only four points in the first three quarters. Russell scored just two Wednesday in Chicago.

Pregame, Ham said his uneven play in December is just a result of the typical ups and downs of a year.

“It’s just the ebbs and flows of an NBA season, right? It’s different factors, different matchups,” Ham said. “Obviously people are going to put some of their best defenders on him. He just has to keep chipping away at it. You just have to keep playing. You’re going to have times and stretches within an NBA season when things are going to be a little dry for you.”

Russell got hot in the fourth and scored 13 in the final quarter, but he couldn’t pull the Lakers across the finish line.

The Lakers will try to salvage the trip Saturday in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.