The Timberwolves looked like they might just do it again Thursday in Los Angeles.

Three days after rallying from 25 points down to stun Oklahoma City, Minnesota trimmed a 23-point deficit that was still as big as 15 in the fourth quarter down to just three won a Jaden McDaniels’ layup to cap a 13-1 run with north of five minutes to play.

But the Lakers have a trio in LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves that guarantees Los Angeles’ a certain baseline of late-game offensive success. They generated a number of looks around the basket that resulted in a whopping 23 fourth-quarter free throws that stemmed the tide and helped secure a 111-102 victory over Minnesota.

As was the case in Oklahoma City, Minnesota’s rally Thursday came with Anthony Edwards not on the floor. Only this time, he wasn’t even on the bench. Edwards was ejected in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul of the evening when he, as crew chief James Williams put it in the postgame pool report, directed “profanity toward the game official.” Edwards’ first technical of the night game in the form of a double-tech between he and former teammate Jarred Vanderbilt amid a mini spat between the two.

As he was walking off the court, Edwards threw the ball into the stands, an act that will likely carry, at minimum, another fine.

The second technical Thursday was No. 16 on the season for Edwards, an important threshold. Assuming neither call from Thursday is rescinded by the NBA, the guard will be suspended for Friday’s game in Utah.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, shoots as Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

“He’s got to be better,” Wolves coach Chris Finch told reporters. “He’s had too many outbursts. I think a lot of (the techs) are deserved. They’re going to miss some calls from time to time, for sure. So he’s got to be better. We’ve been talking to him about it, so it’s on him.”

Without Edwards, Minnesota (32-28) used a similar formula it used to rally past Oklahoma City to tighten Thursday’s affair. The Wolves forced misses from the Lakers, grabbed the ensuing defensive rebound and took off the other way. The Wolves scored nine of their 23 fast break points in the final frame. Rookie wing Terrence Shannon Jr. — a walking transition opportunity — led the Wolves with 25 points, including 12 in the fourth.

But given the hole they dug themselves, the Wolves had to be perfect down the stretch, and they had a couple careless giveaways that stunted momentum and Los Angeles eventually put the game away.

LeBron James finished with 33 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers (36-21), while Reaves had 23 points and Doncic had 21 points and 12 boards. Los Angeles is now five games clear of Minnesota in the West standings.

Playing in his first game since suffering a toe injury in mid-January, Donte DiVincenzo had nine points, six assists and five rebounds for the Wolves. Naz Reid struggled mightily, going 1 for 10 from the field.

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SALT LAKE CITY – With two of their top forwards injured, and another offensive mainstay serving a suspension, there has been much talk among the healthy Minnesota Wild players about stepping up, making the most of new opportunities and having a “next man up” attitude.

But on some nights, that rhetoric doesn’t match the reality.

Making their second-ever visit to the Delta Center in Utah, the Wild fell behind early and couldn’t find enough consistent offense to mount a comeback, falling 6-1 to the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.

Freddie Gaudreau scored his second goal in the past four games, and Marc-Andre Fleury dealt as best he could under heavy traffic in front of him, finishing with 25 saves. The Wild have now lost two in a row, and after winning in their first trip to Utah in December, have now lost their last three to Utah.

The Wild’s penalty killers — an Achilles’ heel for the team all season — were overwhelmed early, as Utah scored on its first power play of the game, and went up 2-0 on a 5-on-3 advantage late in the first.

Goalie Karel Vejmelka had 16 saves for Utah, which is creeping back into the Western Conference playoff picture, having won four of its past five games.

Fleury, playing in his 21st game of the season, got a nice ovation from the fans at the Delta Center before the game, then was put to work right away as Utah dominated the offensive zone and took a lead less than four minutes in on a power-play goal by Barrett Hayton.

On the next shift, the Wild found their defensive corps reduced as Jake Middleton threw hands with Utah’s Jack McBain at center ice, and both men got a five-minute break.

The Wild had a pair of first-period power plays and tested the Utah goalie but got nothing on the scoreboard. Then the final minute of the first proved disastrous for Minnesota.

First Jonas Brodin went to the box for hooking. Then on the ensuing faceoff, Marcus Foligno caught Utah winger Nick Schmaltz with a high stick to the face, causing a bloody mess on the ice and sending Foligno to the penalty box for four minutes. The home club needed 16 seconds of 5-on-3 power play to double its lead.

Minnesota finally found an answer late in the second when Matt Boldy set up Gaudreau for a pretty solo rush to the net, which ended with Gaudreau making a deft move on the Utah goalie and netting his 12th goal of the season.

The celebration was short-lived, as Sean Durzi deflected a long-range shot past Fleury less than two minutes later, for a 3-1 Utah lead after 40 minutes. Then Schmaltz got his revenge for the first-period high stick, popping a third-period shot past Fleury.

When Clayton Keller popped a backhander over Fleury a few minutes later, the rout was on. Former Gophers star Logan Cooley added a sixth Utah goal with 4:59 to play, while Minnesota managed just three shots on goal in the third.

The Wild’s two-game visit to the Mountain Time Zone concludes on Friday when they visit the Colorado Avalanche for the second time this season. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. CT.

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For the third time in four years, Mahtomedi and Chisago Lakes met with a state tournament berth on the line.

Mahtomedi has yet to lose.

Winston Wright broke open a tight game with an insurance goal midway through the third period and the Zephyrs beat the Wildcats 3-1 in Thursday’s Class A, Section 4 final at Aldrich Arena. It is the fourth straight section title for Mahtomedi and ninth in 11 years. The Zephyrs won state titles in 2020 and 2023.

Brock Gutterman and Laken Decker also scored for the second-seeded Zephyrs. Wes Strub made 28 saves.

Class A state tournament play begins Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center. The brackets and schedule are to be announced Saturday.

Mahtomedi likely won’t be a trendy pick with its 11-15-2 record, but the Zephyrs should not be looked past.

Their losses include a plethora of teams that have either advanced to a section final or the state tournament, including two each to Class 2A schools Hill-Murray and St. Thomas Academy, and one-goal losses to Hibbing/Chisholm, Cloquet/Esko/Carleton and St. Cloud Cathedral and two goals to East Grand Forks in Class 1A.

Corbin Shandley made 30 saves and Austin Slettom scored for top-seed Chisago Lakes (16-10-2), which won 3-2 at Mahtomedi Jan. 28.

Wright poked home a rebound of a Cody Loida shot that barely got through Shandley and was almost on the goal line to finish the scoring.

Up 2-1 on an early second-period goal by Decker, the Zephyrs had a golden chance to break the game open midway through the frame with a 5-on-3 power play for two minutes. In the Chisago Lakes zone for most of that time, the Zephyrs had good puck movement but could not beat Shandley. Mahtomedi’s power-play success for the season is less than 9%.

A sign in front of the Chisago Lakes student section stated “Celly Button” with a big red dot. It kind of got “pushed” midway through the opening period thanks to a pair of perfect passes.

Down the left side, Alex Bever connected with Landon Kerkow, whose drop pass went to Slottem. Fighting off a defender, the junior went forehand-backhand to slip the puck into the Zephyrs’ net.

Gutterman scored late in the period for Mahtomedi, with a laser-like wrist shot from the left dot that got in just under the crossbar.

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St. Michael-Albertville continued its reign over Class 3A wrestling Thursday, winning its second consecutive title in dominant fashion.

The Knights downed Shakopee 46-18 in the final to cap a day in which St. Michael-Albertville won its three matches by a combined score of 160-26.

The Knights finished a perfect 27-0 on the season, with 23 of the victories coming by 35-plus points. St. Michael-Albertville coach Josh Joriman noted there were multiple matches he figured would be competitive in Thursday’s final, but added his guys simply wrestled “really well,” as they have all season.

The Knights sport what is, by far, the state’s deepest lineup, a product of the quality of the team’s room.

“We’ve got a lot of tough guys who are competing nonstop and they compete with each other here,” Joriman said. “I think the balance (in the lineup) comes from (the idea that) iron sharpens iron. … It just raises the level for everybody.”

There was no doubt in the minds of many that the Knights would be the ones lifting the trophy at day’s end. And yet St. Michael-Albertville wouldn’t be overcome by overconfidence. Not after what happened two years ago, when the Knights were stunned by Hastings in the state final in a match it once led 32-9.

“Never (overlooking anyone) again,” Knights senior Jarrett Wadsen said. “After that, our whole team’s humbleness — we don’t talk as much crap anymore, that’s for sure.”

Wadsen said it was “really cool” to think about the historic season his team just completed.

“Knowing that this is my senior year, my last year, and we put a stamp on it,” he said. “It just feels awesome.”

Shakopee reached the state final by edging third-seeded Stillwater 27-26 in a duel in which the Ponies — who would’ve won a tiebreaker of matches won — lost a point for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Stillwater — who kept its regular-season match relatively close with the Knights, falling 39-23 — held a 21-5 lead in the semifinals, thanks to its dominance at the lower weights. But Shakopee rallied from there, winning five of the final six matches.

Stillwater won the third-place match over Albert Lea 32-28.

St. Michael-Albertville’s closest duel all season was a 30-21 victory over Watertown Mayer, who claimed the Class 2A crown on Thursday. The Royals (22-1) topped Kasson-Mantorville 33-20 in the final.

Watertown Mayer’s victory — its first state title in program history — marks the first time since 2007 that someone other than the KoMets or Simley won the Class 2A title.

Bryce Burkett secured the title for the Royals with a pin in the 189-pound match.

The KoMets reached the final by edging Simley 31-27 in the afternoon semifinals. That victory officially ended Simley’s run of six straight team state titles.

Kasson-Mantorville entered the heavyweight bout with a 28-27 lead and sealed the match on a 7-0 decision from Jacob Duitsman, who wrestled up two weight classes.

But as is the case with all duels, the contest was decided through bonus points and swing matches throughout the affair. It was exactly the type of duel, and day, Simley coach Will Short expected.

The Spartans were tested from the beginning of the day to the end. They got past Grand Rapids in the morning on a tiebreaker of seven matches won to six after the two teams both finished with 33 points. That came down to Jake Kos and Damir Safronov pulling out majors to nab extra points, among other things.

Simley fell 28-26 to Becker in the third-place match, a bout that was determined by a 215-pound match that Becker’s Aiden Golley won in an ultimate tiebreaker.

“We knew that’s exactly how our duels were going to go in the whole tournament,” Short said. “We just weren’t steady enough at every weight.”

But while Simley would’ve loved a seventh straight crown, and did believe it had a shot at one, pride was the main emotion that Short exuded at day’s end.

“We’ve got no regrets,” Short said. “I’m saying this — and I really mean it — my coaching staff and my kids have worked extremely hard this year to put us in a position from being a match away from being in the finals.”

He noted how much fun Thursday was. The Spartans rolled to titles in past years. Short noted he indeed loves to win. But this year’s team tournament provided pulse-pounding action throughout.

But, the Spartans did come up short. So now, after the weekend’s individual competitions, Short said they’ll enter an evaluation period and discuss with returning wrestlers — of which there are many — what needs to be done to come out on top in 2026.

The last shortfall led to six consecutive state titles. Perhaps more championships are to come. Between Kos, Adrian and Aiden Mincy, Amilio Salas and others, there’s plenty to work with.

“I think this team will be hungry next and will want to be back here. Because now we’re behind, and we have to go find a way to go get ourselves back to the top,” Short said. “I’m just excited for our kids, I really am.”

Staples-Motley topped defending champion Chatfield 33-16 for the Class A title — its first state championship since Staples won seven in an eight-year span ranging from 1978-85. Staples-Motley is coached by Jim Jackson, the former coach of Apple Valley, Shakopee and Eden Prairie.