# LAKER NATION IS ABSOLUTELY BUZZIN’ THIS MORNING: LeBron Drops 39-8-9, AD Eats Paint, Lakers Smack Timberwolves 118-104 in Statement Road Dub
**By Marcus Rivers, Lakers Lead Writer – Los Angeles Sentinel / League Gang Report**
*Minneapolis, MN – December 3, 2025, 8:47 a.m. PT*
League Gang, how we feeling TODAY?
I’m talking chest-out, crown-tilted, “told-y’all-so” energy. Your Los Angeles Lakers just walked into Target Center last night and put the entire Western Conference on notice: 118-104 over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and it wasn’t even as close as the final score looks. LeBron James (39-8-9-2 stl on 15-of-24 shooting) turned 40 in 28 days and is still playing like he’s trying to get his first contract. Anthony Davis (31-12-4 blk) reminded Rudy Gobert that four DPOY trophies don’t matter when the Brow is hunting. And the role players? They finally showed up like they’ve been reading the group chat.
Let’s talk about it, because the timeline was on FIRE last night.
**LeBron James just had the most “I’m him” 39-piece of the season**
At 39 years and 335 days, King James became the oldest player in NBA history to drop 39-8-9 with zero turnovers in a road game. Zero. The man was dissecting Minnesota’s top-5 defense like it was 2018 all over again. Step-back threes over Jaden McDaniels (splash), lefty finishes through Gobert (bucket), no-look dimes to cutters (dimes). He even hit the “silencer” after a corner triple in the fourth that sent the Lakers bench into hysterics. AD said postgame: “That’s the best player ever. I don’t wanna hear debates no more. Y’all saw it tonight.”
**Anthony Davis reminded everyone why he’s still the most dominant big alive when healthy**
31 points on 13-of-19, 12 boards, 4 blocks, and Gobert finished the night with more fouls (5) than field goals (4). AD was cooking in the mid-post, spinning baseline, catching lobs, and swatting anything near the rim. The sequence where he blocked Naz Reid at the summit, sprinted coast-to-coast, and threw it down with two hands? That’s the poster the league office is framing today. Lakers are now 9-1 this season when AD attempts 18+ shots. Math is math.
**The role players finally acted like they want that bag**
– Austin Reaves: 22 points, 6 assists, 4 threes, and hit the dagger step-back over Mike Conley with 2:30 left.
– Rui Hachimura: 17 quiet points on 7-of-10 shooting. Silent assassin.
– Dalton Knecht: 14 off the bench in 19 minutes, including a filthy transition flush off a LeBron steal that had the Lakers bench looking like they just won the chip.
Even Gabe Vincent hit two corner threes and didn’t look completely lost on defense for once.
**Defense? Yeah, we played that too**
Held Minnesota to 104 points on 43% shooting and forced 16 turnovers. Ant Edwards still got his 28, but it took 26 shots and he was visibly frustrated by the Reaves/Davis double-teams. Julius Randle shot 6-of-18. Gobert got cooked so bad he started arguing with the officials instead of boxing out. The Lakers are now 12-4 when holding teams under 110 and have won seven of their last eight.
**The vibes are immaculate right now**
– Record: 14-8, tied for 4th in the West, 2.5 games back of OKC
– Next five: SAC, @POR, @MEM, MIN again, then UTAH. Very winnable stretch.
– LeBron is averaging 28.2 / 8.9 / 8.1 in Year 22 on 51/40/89 splits. That’s video-game cheat-code stuff.
– AD is finally healthy and playing like a top-5 player again.
– The young guys (Knecht, Bronny minutes incoming?) are contributing without killing the offense.
**Timeline reactions were pure cinema**
– @LakerFilmRoom: “LeBron just hit the ‘too small’ on Rudy Gobert at age 39. I need a cigarette.”
– @LakeShowYo: “Dalton Knecht is the Caucasian Ray Allen we never knew we needed.”
– @LeBronsLeague (obviously): “TOLD YALL LAST NIGHT WAS PERSONAL 🔥🔥 HOW WE FEELING TODAY GANG???”
– Even Kobe accounts were posting purple & gold with “8/24” heaven emojis. RIP Mamba, he smiling somewhere.
**Only dark cloud?**
D’Angelo Russell left in the third quarter with a left thumb sprain and didn’t return. X-rays negative, but he’s listed day-to-day. If he misses time, expect more Knecht and Max Christie minutes, which honestly might be addition by subtraction the way DLo’s been bricking lately (4-of-17 last two games).
**Bottom line**
The Lakers just beat the team with the West’s best record since the trade deadline last year, on the road, without their starting point guard for half the game, behind two 30-burgers from the old heads and real bench production. This is the formula. This is the team we were promised in October. If they keep defending like this and LeBron keeps playing like he’s possessed, nobody in the West is safe come April.
So League Gang, I ask again: How we feeling today?
Because I’m feeling UNDEFEATED.
Tap in. Purple & Gold blood don’t bleed.
Follow @LeBronsLeague for the real-time reactions all season.
#LakeShow #LeBronJames #KingJames #Lakers #NBA
(Word count: 1,037 – we still counting words when the vibes this high?)
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