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The new-look Wolves are struggling to find their rhythm after their season-opening loss to the Lakers

The new-look Wolves are struggling to find their rhythm after their season-opening loss to the Lakers

It's safe to say that the issues aren't all resolved yet.

The new-look Timberwolves rallied from a big deficit after a chaotic first half, but fell short in a 110-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

To be honest, the Timberwolves (0-1) looked like what they were at the start – a team that didn't play together much. They turned it over six times in the first quarter – Mike Conley uncharacteristically had three turnovers in the game – and the Lakers (1-0) took control of the game during a 17-2 run in the second quarter in which they dominated the game.

It was noticeable that the Twin Towers were no longer in the Timberwolves' lineup. The Lakers smashed the offensive glass and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds on the night. When Rudy Gobert was off the floor, Los Angeles was able to dominate the game, which was especially evident during the second quarter as they ran through the Wolves' zone defense.

The Wolves went into halftime down 55-42, with Anthony Edwards scoring 14 of those 42 points.

Aside from Edwards, who scored 27 points on 10-for-25 shooting, six rebounds and three assists, the Timberwolves struggled to find much rhythm on offense. Losses of possession were a problem all night long as the Wolves fielded 15 players, and it was an issue that even Edwards wasn't immune to as he was the biggest attacker on the night with four players.

The Wolves' new pieces didn't have the debuts they wanted with their new team. Julius Randle never found much of a rhythm and wasn't a big factor early on, but finished the game with 16 points, nine boards and four assists while committing two turnovers. Donte DiVincenzo struggled a lot with his shot, scoring 10 points on just 3 of 11 shooting.

But despite all the initial problems, the Wolves got going again and got back into the game. In the second half they managed to turn the tide on offense. They reduced their sales.

The Wolves cut their deficit to single digits by the end of the third quarter and opened the fourth with an 8-3 run after a 3-pointer from Naz Reid to get within 85-81 with plenty of time remaining and the to force new Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout.

A floater from D'Angelo Russell and a layup from LeBron James pushed the lead back to eight, and the Lakers quickly extended their lead back to double digits. The Wolves managed to reduce the output, but they never really gave the Lakers another scare.

In the end, the Wolves actually won the rebound battle 47:46, but the difficulties were noticeable in the first half. The Lakers' 15 offensive rebounds were impressive, even if Minnesota was able to grab 12 rebounds of their own.

Los Angeles crushed the Wolves in the game, narrowly outscoring them 72-40. Forty-one of Minnesota's 85 shots came from 3-point range.

Minnesota had no answer for Anthony Davis, who finished the game with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal.

In a remarkable moment during the game, Bronny James and LeBron James checked in together in the second quarter, marking the first time in NBA history that a father and son played together on the same court.

It will certainly be a work in progress for the new-look Wolves. It wasn't the start they were hoping for, but it certainly wouldn't all be sorted out by the first game of the season. You just have to learn from it and move on.

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