NBA Notes: Timberwolves, Julius Randle, Pacers, Lakers, Austin Reaves

Timberwolves

For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the Karl-Anthony Towns trade to the Knicks, the Timberwolves appear to be pulling it together for when it means the most.

Perhaps they’re finally getting used to each other.

“The Timberwolves had an eight-game winning streak snapped in overtime Monday by the Pacers, but Minnesota is playing well at the right time,” wrote ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “The Wolves had won their past 13 games with Julius Randle in the lineup, and a light upcoming schedule — twice against the Pelicans before playing at Indiana — should give them a chance to stack more wins.”

Minnesota entered Wednesday at 40-30, good enough for seventh in the Western Conference standings. That’s also just a half-game back of the sixth-seeded Warriors.

Pacers

Remember that Pacers rivalry against the Bucks last season? Indiana mostly dominated. This year, though, it’s been the opposite.

“The Pacers appear headed toward a collision course with the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season, but Indiana has not been as dominant against Milwaukee this time,” Collier wrote. “After going 8-3 against the Bucks last season (including in the playoffs), the Pacers have dropped four of five against their division rivals this season. But home-court advantage might still be up for grabs in the first round.”

For the record, Indiana (38-29) holds a half-game lead over Milwaukee for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Either way, what a 4 vs. 5 matchup it would be.

Lakers

With LeBron James still sidelined, the Lakers are turning to the likes of Luka Doncic and, yes, Austin Reaves to keep them afloat. And man, has Reaves delivered.

During the recent stretch of four games in five nights, Reaves averaged 30.8 points, 7.0 assists and 2.0 steals.

“He’s our third option (after James and Doncic), but he’s better than most ones, better than most twos in the league,” fellow Lakers guard Jordan Goodwin said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “So we got to keep putting respect on AR’s name.”

• In case you missed it, the Lakers are actually looking pretty good defensively. That’s especially the case for Doncic, Reaves and James. We have that full story here.