LOS ANGELES — The climb back to .500 finally ended for the Los Angeles Lakers after they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-103, on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

Such marks are never celebrated by a franchise with 17 NBA championships. A 19-19 record was barely mentioned after the game. Why would it be?

But the Lakers have won their last two games, and any hint of momentum is effortlessly filed away as progress. In fact, they might have a new identity — a small-ball one.

LeBron James started at center for a second consecutive game and didn’t have to carry the Lakers on his back. In fact, he scored a mere 26 points, ending his streak of seven consecutive games with 30 or more points.

James had plenty of help Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony got hot late and scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. His four-point play after being fouled by Jarred Vanderbilt gave the Lakers a 103-98 edge with 3:07 left.

Malik Monk continued to look eminently comfortable as a Lakers starter, scoring 22 points.

“He can do it all offensively,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “That’s what we love about Malik. He’s great putting the ball on the floor, and when these guys have it, he’s great as a backside three-point shooter as well.”

James had another well-rounded game, but the other side of the small-ball coin was not as friendly for the Lakers. They were beat on the boards in a stunning way: Minnesota won the rebounding game, 56-28, including a 20-4 advantage on the offensive end.

Minnesota point guard Patrick Beverley had four offensive rebounds by himself. He is listed at 6-foot-1.

“That’s a team that don’t quit,” Anthony told Spectrum SportsNet. “The way they attacked the offensive glass was very impressive, [position] one through five.” 

Timberwolves center Naz Reid feasted on the Lakers’ lack of size, scoring 23 points and taking 11 rebounds. But James held him down in the important stages of the game, helping limit Reid to a scoreless fourth quarter.

“LeBron James can do it all,” Vogel said. “He had a great defensive fourth and really [overall] defensive game.”

Neither of the Lakers’ two centers — Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan — got off the bench Sunday. 

Lakers guard Russell Westbrook had 20 points and five assists but also an inefficient game in a couple of ways. He had 10 turnovers — seven in the first half — and had trouble with his shot, missing all five of his three-point shots.

“Had a tough night tonight,” Vogel said. “Some of that is the pieces moving around him, not just him.”

Anthony Edwards scored 18 points for the Timberwolves (16-20), who went without two of their top three players — Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell — because of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.