The Los Angeles Lakers will want to live up to Lakers star Kobe Bryant's promise to make the playoffs by adding another win Thursday night when they host the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves to Staples Center at 10:30 p.m. ET.
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The Lakers are 28-30, but their recent 11-5 stretch has been a step in the right direction for a team whose season would be a total disappointment without a playoff appearance.
However, two areas continue to plague them. Los Angeles' 15.3 turnovers per game rank near the bottom of the league, while its 69.0 percentage from the free-throw line is last.
Both issues reared their heads in a 119-108 loss at Denver on Monday. The Lakers committed 12 of their 15 turnovers before halftime, leading to a 13-point deficit, and hit just 14 of 31 free throws.
Dwight Howard, shooting a career-worst 48.5 percent from the line, was 3 of 14.
Kobe Bryant was assessed a technical foul on his way to the locker room at halftime, though it was rescinded Tuesday. Still, Bryant's 13 technicals lead the league, and three more will result in an automatic one-game suspension.
"I'm not concerned," said Bryant, averaging 27.0 points over his last nine games against Minnesota.
The Timberwolves (20-34) have looked lost for most of the season and continue to nosedive in the standings as they struggle with injuries.
Kevin Love, Chase Budinger and Brandon Roy are already out, and Minnesota could be without Andrei Kirilenko yet again.
Kirilenko limped off in the first quarter of Tuesday's 84-83 overtime loss at Phoenix after he strained his left calf. Kirilenko, who has played in the last four games after missing the previous five with a strained right quadriceps, is listed as questionable for Thursday.
Minnesota buried itself with another poor shooting performance against the Suns, hitting only 34.4 percent for its 13th sub-40.0 percent shooting game. The Timberwolves have been particularly bad from 3-point range, shooting an NBA-worst 30.0 percent.
Bryant had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 111-100 win at Minnesota on Feb. 1 as the Lakers claimed a 57-40 rebounding edge.
The Timberwolves' last win in the series -- and only one in the last 24 meetings -- was 117-107 in double overtime at home March 6, 2007.
