LAKERS FINALLY GET SOME BREAKS - AND A VICTORY BRYANT SCORES 25 POINTS AS L.A. MAKES THE PLAYS AT END TO DEFEAT TIMBERWOLVES LAKERS 92, MINNESOTA 89.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

The way things have been going for the Lakers, maybe what happened in the final minutes Wednesday night at Staples Center was just their due.

How else to explain the sight of Luke Walton, who struggled with his shot so much this season, hitting the biggest 3-pointer of the night?

Or Kobe Bryant, logging another 42-minute game, having the ball knocked out of his hands only to lay it up with 6.3 seconds left?

Or Marcus Banks, who once was almost traded to the Lakers, missing everything on an open 3-pointer that could have tied the game for Minnesota?

It added up to a much-needed 92-89 victory over the Timberwolves at Staples Center, as the Lakers took advantage of an off night by Kevin Garnett and won one of the close games they have lost so many times this season.

Bryant finished with 25 points on 12-of-25 shooting, 19 of which came in the second half, and caught a break late. He drove and had the ball smacked out of his hands by Ricky Davis as he went up for a shot.

But Bryant's momentum carried him to the loose ball and he banked in a shot. Lamar Odom added 20 points and Walton had nine points and seven rebounds. Garnett totaled 16 points and 14 rebounds but went 4 of 14 from the field.

Just when things looked the bleakest, as the Timberwolves ran a pick-and- roll to perfection and Garnett threw down a reverse dunk as a three-point play with 1:22 left, the Lakers came roaring back.

Bryant gave up the ball to Walton, who stepped back and connected on a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:06 left that made it 88-87. Justin Reed missed at the other end for Minnesota and Bryant hit a tough shot in the lane for the Lakers.

The Lakers didn't take care of the ball down the stretch. Smush Parker tried to dribble in traffic and was stripped by Rashad McCants, who threw down a dunk at the other end.

On the next possession, Walton tried to get the ball to Bryant only to have it poked away by Banks. Bryant couldn't catch up to the ball and Banks followed McCants with another easy dunk.

That put the Timberwolves in front 84-81 but the lead was short-lived. Odom posted up Davis and knocked down a turnaround jumper and Parker got a hand on a Davis pass and went the other way for a dunk.

Jackson said before the game that Bryant clearly was nursing tired legs, and it was easy to understand why. Bryant had played more than 43 minutes in each of the Lakers' previous four games before Wednesday.

Thanks to a scheduling quirk, the Lakers played the Timberwolves four times this season in the second game of a back-to-back set. Minnesota had a day off before each of those games in addition.

Jackson elected to start rookie forward Ronny Turiaf, who was matched up against Timberwolves center Mark Blount. It was Turiaf's first NBA start but did not go at all as he would have hoped early.

Turiaf totaled three turnovers and two fouls in the game's first 10 minutes. He was called for traveling on consecutive possessions and threw a pass in the backcourt to Bryant that skipped out of bounds.

Brian Cook didn't play in the first half but started in place of Turiaf in the second half.

The Lakers had nine turnovers in the first quarter against a Minnesota team that came in ranked 25th in the NBA in forcing them.

The Lakers opened the second quarter on a 13-4 run and tied the game 30-30. Odom had 16 points and four assists on 7-of-10 shooting in the first half.

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Lamar Odom dunks for two of his 20 points on Wednesday in the Lakers' win over Minnesota at Staples Center.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer