Anthony Edwards said the Timberwolves need to find their defensive identity. They found it in the last two games.

After the Wolves put together their best defensive performance of the season on Friday with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers to end their four-game losing streak, they followed up with another shutdown defensive effort in a 109-80 victory over the other team in Los Angeles – LeBron James and the Lakers – Monday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

It was a complete game defensively for the Wolves (10-10). They held the Lakers (12-9) to just 20 points in the first frame and again to just 20 in the third quarter. Los Angeles had 21 turnovers and shot just 41% from the field.

The Wolves finally decided the game in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. Minnesota was already 15 points ahead at the start of the final frame and opened the quarter with a 15-1 run that ended with Naz Reid throwing a lob to Rudy Gobert, who had a particularly strong game on both ends of the field 17 points, 12 rebounds and a steal.

Donte DiVincenzo felt it from distance, which was evident early in the second quarter when he quickly fired a shot well beyond the 3-point arc. He finished the game with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including 3 of 6 from long range. DiVincenzo also had nine assists, five rebounds and two steals and finished with a plus-minus of plus-21.

Reid had the best plus-minus of the group at plus-22 and finished with 15 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker also scored 15 points.

Julius Randle scored a team-high 18 points.

The Wolves held James in check as he scored just 10 points while turning the ball over six times. D’Angelo Russell had the best hand for the Lakers, finishing with a game-high 20 points, and Anthony Davis finished with 12 points and 11 boards.

The Wolves had such control of the game that Josh Minott and Luka Garza checked in with 6 minutes, 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Soon after, they emptied the rest of the bench, and Terrence Shannon Jr. even scored a late three-pointer to the delight of the fans still in Target Center. He followed with a big transition dunk that drew even more attention.

It was an absolute defensive performance for Wolves, who appear to have found their identity again.