On Friday, the Lakers and Timberwolves will meet for the second time this season.The first meeting, which came on Nov. 12, was a no-contest as Minnesotaused a 40-12 third quarter to secure a 24-point Yu Darvish Jersey (107-83) victory. However, things have changed since then.Coming into this game, the Lakers have a much-improved defense thatranks. It's fueled their secondthree-game winning streak of the season.NBALeaguePa s: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)The Lakers will have their hands full with fourplayers currently sidelined in the league's health and safety protocols inTalen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard, Ru sell Westbrookand Avery Bradley.The Lakers are still in good Miguel Diaz Jersey shape withLeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, but the Timberwolves have been far more competitive this year than in past seasons.Their 13-15 record is the franchise's best 28-game start since the 2018-19 season.It would be safe to expect a hard-fought battle on Friday night.MORE: | Sophomore Anthony Edwards has been making the most headlines this season, whether it's exploding for a career-high 48 points against the Warriors in early November, Aaron Loup Jersey stuffing the stat sheet in Jimmy Butler's return to Minnesota orknockingdown a career-high and franchise-record 10 3-pointers in the blowout win against the Nuggets.What channel is Lakers vs. Timberwolveson?Channel:ESPNLive stream:Watch ESPN| What time does Lakers vs. Rickey Henderson Jersey Timberwolves start?Date:Friday, Dec. 17Time: 10:00 p.m. ET | 7:00 p.m. PTLakers vs. Timberwolvesis scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 17. The game will be played at the Target Center inMinneapolis.Lakers upcoming scheduleDateOpponentTimeNational TVDec. 17at Timberwolves10:00 p.mESPNDec. 19at Bulls8:00 p.m-Dec. 21vs. Suns10:00 p.mTNTDec. 23vs. Spurs10:30 p.mDec. 25vs. Nets8:00 p.mABC, ESPN(All Times Eastern)Timberwolves upcomingscheduleDateOpponentTimeNational TVDec. 17vs. Lakers10:00 p.mESPNDec. 19vs. Mavericks8:00 p.m-Dec. 21at Mavericks8:30 p.m-Dec. 23at Jazz9:00 p.m-Dec. 27vs. Celtics8:00 p.m- Christian Villanueva Jersey (All Times Eastern)NBA schedule for 2021-22After a truncated season in 2020-21, the NBA has returned to its standard 82-game format for the 2021-22 campaign, which is the league's 75th anniversary season.Here are some key dates for the 2021-22 NBA season:Trade Deadline: Feb. 10NBA All-Star 2022:Feb. 18-20Regular season concludes:April 10Play-In Tournament: April 12-15Playoffs begin: April 16NBA Finals begin:June 22022 NBA Adrian Morejon Jersey Draft:June 23