Wolves hand Lakers 12th loss in 18 games

LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant missed the free throw.

Joe Smith did the unfathomable, fouling Bryant 24 feet from the basket inside of 10 seconds remaining, the Los Angeles Laker deficit three, Staples Center at full bellow, and then Bryant missed the free throw, the last of three, and the Lakers lost again.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, fresh from nowhere, defeated them, 110-107, on an otherwise sleepy Sunday night at 11th and Figueroa streets, leaving the three-time defending champions with two injured power forwards, a recovering center and a 6-12 record, which leaves them tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for last place in the Pacific Division.

At the end of the Lakers' latest bout of ineffectiveness, it was Bryant at the line, Bryant who might have saved them from themselves, Bryant whose shot hit the inside right of the rim, the inside left and then popped free as the crowd groaned. But it could have been anyone, because defeat again came from a hundred tiny places, becoming official with a last three-point heave from Bryant at the buzzer.

"Well, it just is another loss," Coach Phil Jackson said. "They seem to be piling up now with some regularity and we can't seem to stop that momentum at this particular time and right ourselves and feel like, OK, we have a feel now for what we're trying to do."

On the floor, after the free throw, Bryant sighed and put his hands on his hips. After a moment, he gripped the sides of his shorts and scowled. He had scored 22 points, 10 in the fourth quarter. Shaquille O'Neal, in his sixth game off the injured list, had 31 points, 13 in the fourth quarter, and 13 rebounds.

And then it wasn't enough, because Bryant's free throw to tie it with 7.2 seconds remaining missed, because the Lakers were lax on defense for too long, and because at the end of the fourth quarter, there were moments when Kevin Garnett -- and not O'Neal or Bryant -- was the best player on the floor.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," Bryant said of his free throw. "It's like Tiger putting and the thing just hits the lip and rolls off."

The Lakers shot OK (46.3 percent) from everywhere but the three-point arc (three for 15) and rebounded with some verve. But they allowed at least 106 points for the third consecutive game , and six Timberwolves scored in double figures, and if they aren't bored on defense, it still looks like it.

The Timberwolves made 50.6 percent of their field-goal attempts and won for the first time in 17 games against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Garnett had 23 points and 15 rebounds. Anthony Peeler scored 17 points in 30 minutes off the bench.

MINNESOTA (110)

Garnett 8-15 7-9 23, Trent 5-9 0-0 10, Nesterovic 5-8 0-0 10, Gill 2-8 4-6 9, Hudson 7-13 0-0 16, Smith 3-6 8-12 14, M.Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Strickland 2-7 4-4 8, Peeler 7-12 0-0 17, Woods 0-0 0-0 0, Slater 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 40-79 24-33 110.

L.A. LAKERS (107)

Fox 5-15 2-2 13, Medvedenko 5-11 0-0 10, O'Neal 11-19 9-13 31, Bryant 9-15 3-5 22, Fisher 4-11 2-2 10, Samake 3-5 0-0 6, Madsen 1-4 0-1 2, Shaw 2-5 0-0 5, George 4-9 0-0 8, Rush 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 44-95 16-23 107.

Minnesota 28 22 26 34 -- 110

L.A. Lakers 29 31 16 31 -- 107

3-Point Goals--Minnesota 6-8 (Peeler 3-3, Hudson 2-3, Gill 1-1, Garnett 0-1), L.A. Lakers 3-15 (Bryant 1-3, Shaw 1-3, Fox 1-5, Fisher 0-2, George 0-2). Fouled out--Nesterovic. Rebounds--Minnesota 53 (Garnett 15), L.A. Lakers 53 (O'Neal 13). Assists--Minnesota 25 (Garnett 6), L.A. Lakers 30 (Bryant 11). Total fouls--Minnesota 23, L.A. Lakers 26. A--18,997 (18,997).