Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Andrew Bynum is quickly becoming a dangerous complement to star Kobe Bryant, as the two combined for 57 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 132-119 romp over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Bryant netted 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting with eight rebounds and five assists, while Bynum scored 27 on 10-of-15 field goals and brought down a game-high 15 boards as the Lakers rebounded from a double overtime home loss Tuesday to Charlotte.
Bynum entered the contest averaging 13.9 points per game this season -- third- best on the Lakers -- but Friday continued his recent string of good play. He had 42 points on January 21 against the Clippers, then scored 23 against Washington the next night. He registered 15 points against the Spurs on Sunday before scoring 24 against Charlotte. Additionally, in each of the last five games Bynum has recorded a double-double.
Pau Gasol provided 21 points and nine rebounds, as every member of LA's starting five had a double-digit scoring effort. Luke Walton had 11 points and Derek Fisher was one of three Lakers to contribute 10 points.
"This is a young club that likes to score a lot and we like to score -- there wasn't a whole lot of defense out there," Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said.
LA opened a six-game road trip with the win, its fifth in the last six games overall, and will also make visits to Memphis, New York and Toronto before ending the swing with matchups against Eastern Conference powers Boston and Cleveland.
Al Jefferson came through with a game-high 34 points to go with 13 rebounds and four blocks for Minnesota, which has lost two in a row, but finished the month of January with a 10-4 record.
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Randy Foye dropped 27 points while Ryan Gomes and Kevin Love contributed 14 points apiece in the loss.
"We felt as though we had a chance," Foye said of taking on a formidable Lakers squad. "We had a couple bad calls but we can't blame the refs. We had our opportunities."
The Lakers held a 33-31 edge after 12 minutes and the T'Wolves stuck with the West's best throughout the opening half, trailing only 64-60 at intermission.
Los Angeles scored six of the third quarter's first seven points, and went on a 15-2 surge shortly thereafter to take control. Bynum sparked the run with a basket in close and polished it off with a jumper to make it an 85-67 game.
A Trevor Ariza jumper at the buzzer gave the Lakers a 100-85 lead through three quarters, and an Ariza three-ball and Gasol slam early in the fourth pushed the LA lead to 20.
The Lakers held a double-digit lead for most of the fourth, but Minnesota runs of eight and six points whittled the deficit to single digits. Foye had two free throws with a little over two minutes left to get the T'Wolves within 124-115, but Fisher countered with a trey and the Lakers held on for the win.
