Here is what you need to know before the Lakers hit the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
1) Fourth quarters have seriously hurt the Lakers lately
L.A. has gone just 1-4 since LeBron James — who will be out for another week — went down with a strained left groin.
The script has been pretty similar over this span: poor starts, strong middle frames and fourth-quarter meltdowns.
Over these last five games, the Lakers have been outscored by 6.8 points per fourth period. This shouldn’t come as too much of a shock considering they’re missing one of the game’s great closers.