Reid gets 31, Timberwolves jump on Lakers 127-117 in the absence of LeBron James, Anthony Davis

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Naz Reid hit six 3-pointers while scoring 31 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves capitalized on LeBron James' absence and Anthony Davis' early exit with an eye injury for a 127-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.

Anthony Edwards added 26 points for the Timberwolves, who moved even with Denver atop the Western Conference at 54-24 with their seventh win in nine games. Minnesota didn't waste its golden opportunity to beat the surging Lakers, who played most of the night without their two superstars.

James stayed home with flu-like symptoms, missing his 11th game of his 21st NBA season. Davis then went to the locker room after getting hit in the face by Kyle Anderson while scoring a tip-in basket late in the first quarter.

The nine-time All-Star didn't return to the game, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham had no postgame update on his condition. Davis took another blow to his left eye, which already was injured from a hit taken last month in a game against Golden State.

“Obviously, we caught a break there,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.

Minnesota blew open a tight game without Davis patrolling the middle, putting up a 46-point second quarter. Los Angeles' supporting cast kept it close in the third, but Rudy Gobert scored six of his 18 points in the fourth quarter while Minnesota comfortably held on. Gobert also had 16 rebounds.

“Offensively, we were playing the right way,” said Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 15 points. “Things just opened up because their defense was lacking length, and I think for us, we just kept making the right play. Coming down the stretch, Naz was making big plays. Ant was making the right read. All the talent we have was just able to come through and make shots, make plays.”

With an opportunity to be the No. 1 seed in the West for only the second time in franchise history, Minnesota rebounded from its worst offensive performance of the season in Phoenix last Friday. The Wolves and the defending NBA champion Nuggets meet in Denver on Wednesday, with Minnesota traveling to the second game of a back-to-back.

“I think all year it’s been a goal for us,” Reid said of the No. 1 seed. ”That’s something that we hunger for, and we talk about it all the time. Obviously we want the standings to be in our favor, so we’ve got to go out and make it in our favor.”

Rui Hachimura scored 30 points for the Lakers, whose four-game winning streak ended with only their second loss in 11 games. Los Angeles also fell right back into ninth place in the ultracompetitive West after finally moving up to eighth on Saturday for the first time since late December.

“It's tough already being without Bron, and then seeing (Davis) go out, it's tough,” Ham said. “But my hat is off to our guys. They didn't feel sorry for themselves. They kept competing all the way through. Just had some unfortunate possessions offensively. Guys not having their legs up under them (after) an 11-day road trip (with) six games, come back home and have a 12:30 game Saturday.”

Backup big man Jaxson Hayes had a season-high 19 points and 10 assists while playing 33 minutes in Davis’ absence, and Spencer Dinwiddie added 18 points and seven assists for the Lakers. D'Angelo Russell struggled when Los Angeles needed a huge game from its No. 3 option, missing 14 of his 19 shots to finish with 15 points and 11 assists.

Minnesota quickly broke open a close game after Davis left, streaking to a 79-64 halftime lead with Reid scoring 18 points in the second quarter. Reid, who also grabbed 11 rebounds, racked up 46 combined points in the Wolves’ two previous meetings with the Lakers.

“I just stand out in the lights,” Reid said with a grin. “I'm sorry. I don't know. I just go out there and compete, and it just happened to be on TV.”

Along with James, the Lakers held out backup point guard Gabe Vincent, who only returned from a lengthy injury absence four games ago.

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Host Washington on Tuesday.

Lakers: Host Golden State on Tuesday.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) reacts after the Minnesota Timberwolves scored during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) scores during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) dribbles past Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, left, defends against Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) dribbles past Los Angeles Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a “hard landing” on Sunday, Iranian state media reported, without elaborating.

Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV said the incident happened near Jolfa, a city on the border with with the nation of Azerbaijan, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Traveling with Raisi were Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province and other officials, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. One local government official used the word “crash” to describe the incident, but he acknowledged to an Iranian newspaper that he had yet to reach the site himself.

Neither IRNA nor state TV offered any information on Raisi’s condition.

“The esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog," Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in comments aired on state TV. "Various rescue teams are on their way to the region but because of the poor weather and fogginess it might take time for them to reach the helicopter.”

He added: "The region is a bit (rugged) and it’s difficult to make contact. We are waiting for rescue teams to reach the landing site and give us more information.”

Rescuers were attempting to reach the site, state TV said, but had been hampered by poor weather conditions. There had been heavy rain and fog reported with some wind. IRNA called the area a “forest” and the region is known to be mountainous as well.

Raisi had been in Azerbaijan early Sunday to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. The dam is the third one that the two nations built on the Aras River. The visit came despite chilly relations between the two nations, including over a gun attack on Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran in 2023, and Azerbaijan's diplomatic relations with Israel, which Iran's Shiite theocracy views as its main enemy in the region.

Iran flies a variety of helicopters in the country, but international sanctions make it difficult to obtain parts for them. Its military air fleet also largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.

Raisi won Iran's 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Raisi is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war.

Under Raisi, Iran now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections. Iran has armed Russia in its war on Ukraine, as well as launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It also has continued arming proxy groups in the Mideast, like Yemen's Houthi rebels and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

FILE- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi places his hands on his heart as a gesture of respect to the crowd during the funeral ceremony of the victims of Wednesday's bomb explosion in the city of Kerman about 510 miles (820 kms) southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, Jan. 5, 2024. A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a “hard landing” on Sunday, May 19, 2024, Iranian state television reported, without immediately elaborating. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)