Wiggins, Towns help Timberwolves rout LeBron-less Lakers
Brooklyn, Los Angeles among day’s other winners
Minneapolis: Andrew Wiggins scored 25 of his 28 points in the first half, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves take charge from the opening tipoff and breeze by the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers for a 108-86 victory Sunday.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks to help the Timberwolves improve to 14-6 at home, including 8-2 against Western Conference foes.
Lance Stephenson had 14 points for the Lakers. They fell to 1-5 without James since he strained his groin during the Christmas Day win at Golden State.
In Chicago, D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points, DeMarre Carroll had 20 and Brooklyn beat Chicago for their third straight victory (117-100).
Jarrett Allen added 19 points and six rebounds to help the Nets improve to 12-3 in their last 15 games, matching their best 15-game stretch since moving to Brooklyn in 2012.
Zach LaVine had 27 points for Chicago, and Bobby Portis scored 17 in 20 minutes off the bench after missing seven games with a sprained right ankle.
Tobias Harris scored 28 points and Los Angeles overcame a slow start to beat Orlando 106-96. Lou Williams added 17 points, and Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each had 13. The Clippers have won 11 consecutive games against the Magic, a streak that goes back to the 2013-14 season.
Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 24 rebounds for Orlando.