Wiggins scores career-high 47 to lead Timberwolves past Lakers

Wiggins hit 14 of 21 shots to blow past his previous career high of 36, leading the host Minnesota Timberwolves to a 125-99 victory over the Lakers on Sunday night.

Wiggins hit 17 of 22 foul shots, and Nemanja Bjelica added a career-high 24 points and eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, who played without starting guard Zach LaVine and forward Shabazz Muhammad.

“You let a player as good as him get an additional 22 free chances on that, one, he’s going to score a lot, and two, he’s going to get hot because he’s in a rhythm from all the free throws he’s shooting,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said.

The game featured two of the NBA’s most promising young cores, with Wiggins, LaVine and Karl-Anthony Towns hoping to end Minnesota’s 12-year playoff drought and D’Angelo Russell, Randle and Brandon Ingram reviving the Lakers in the post-Kobe era.

Serge Ibaka’s baseline jumper with less than a second remaining lifted visiting Orlando past the team that traded him to the Magic in the offseason.

Tied in the final minute, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook missed a pull-up jumper, and Orlando rebounded and called timeout with 11 seconds remaining to set up Ibaka’s winner with 0.4 of a second left.

Kyrie Irving scored 19 points and Kevin Love added 17, but neither played in the fourth quarter as Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue stuck with the group that helped the Cavs take control of the game.