To end 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers will travel for a second straight back-to-back, beginning with a rematch with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers eventually fell short against the Timberwolves, 109-106, in the closing minutes of the game.

LeBron James, who is 39 years old, opened the game with a probing jumper in the lane to give Los Angeles a 6-4 lead. Midway through the first quarter, the Lakers led 17–6 because to a fast play on Rudy Gobert. Anthony Davis drove the offence early with his assertiveness in the painted area.

Two obvious missed calls that should have gone to Los Angeles helped Minnesota come back with an 11-2 run. However, Davis went all out close to the rim, which gave the Lakers a 31-29 lead at the half.

At the beginning of the second, James assumed command of the offence, setting up his teammates for success and producing a steal and slam. But, the Timberwolves were able to go on a 9-0 run with Davis off the court, forcing Darvin Ham to call a timeout.

Following two layups to give Minnesota a brief lead, Anthony Edwards left the game but later came back due to an ankle ailment. Even with some excellent performance from Davis, Los Angeles trailed 61–57 at the break.

Despite appearing to have a hip injury, Davis managed to achieve a double-double in the first half, scoring 21 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

In contrast to the first quarter, the Lakers’ offence struggled to produce many decent looks in the half court, which led to a slower start to the third quarter. Although his scoring decreased, Davis continued to be a playmaker and an active offensive contributor.

Minnesota increased their advantage as Los Angeles’ offence stagnated, missing nine straight shots. After multiple attempts by Edwards and Reid to reach the cup, the Lakers were down 82-77 entering the fourth quarter.

D’Angelo Russell took an offensive foul and fell hard, returning to the locker room.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Los Angeles’s defensive effort increased significantly, and Austin Reaves’ two free throws gave them a slim 84-83 advantage. With a vicious block on Jaden McDaniels, Davis ignited the crowd, but James was unable to take advantage when he missed his own dunk try on the opposite end.

Edwards took control, making clutch jump shots to prevent the Lakers from getting closer to the score. Under pressure, Davis made a challenging 3-pointer, but Mike Conley countered with a shot of his own that ultimately ended up sabotaging the purple and gold team’s hopes of winning.

James finished a three-point play and then hit a long basket for Los Angeles late in the game to spice things up. But because his foot was in danger, the Lakers lost by a hair’s breadth. After reviewing the replay, the referees decided not to overturn the call even though it appeared he might have been behind the line.