To borrow a favorite phrase from Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler, if his team is going to get where they want to go, they must grow comfortable on a big stage.

Monday's Christmas night game against the Los Angeles Lakers provided such a stage and the Wolves used it to win their fourth consecutive game, 121-104, at Staples Center.

Monday's late game capped the NBA's Christmas quintupleheader and it came with all the trimmings – Santa hats and ugly Yuletide sweaters worn galore, a special national television, play-by-play performance by TNT's outspoken Thursday night crew.

It also came with the Wolves' 16-1 run early in a lopsided 38-24 fourth quarter that put them in control after the Lakers had taken a brief one-point lead to start the period.

"We did a good job. We pushed the pace," center Karl-Anthony Towns said after recording 21 points and 10 rebounds. "They were really (forcing) their pace on us early on and we weren't playing with the energy we needed. We did a great job in the second half playing the game at our level and our pace. We made the game ours."

The Wolves ended a three-game road trip by beating Denver, Phoenix and the Lakers, improving to 21-13 on the season.

"Four in a row is four in a row," Butler said after making his first seven shot attempts and finishing with 23 points, including 17 in the first half. "Just try to build upon it. We can't settle at four in a row. We have to go home, take care of this next one (Wednesday against Denver) and make it five."

Taj Gibson scored 23 points on 11-for-13 shooting, including 11 points in the fourth quarter. He scored five consecutive points – including a rather rare three-pointer – after the Lakers pulled within six. His spurt gave the Wolves a 110-99 lead with 3:08 left, and a Lakers team playing without injured young stars Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram never got closer than eight again.

The Lakers scored the fourth quarter's first four points to turn an 83-80 deficit after three quarters into a brief one-point lead. But the Wolves went off on that tear, which started with Towns converting a three-point play and included two baskets by Jamal Crawford, who scored 19 points off the bench.

"We're getting a lot more comfortable in that situation. We have a lot of different options, guys who can make plays – Jimmy, Wigs, KAT, Jeff, Tyus, myself, there's a lot of guys," Crawford said. "But it starts with defense. Whenever we get stops, we get a chance to get out and run and get easy baskets. That's what really fuels us."

Without Ball and Ingram, Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma kept doing what he has done all season, namely score. The 27th player taken in June's draft, Kuzma finished with 31 points, making six threes on 11 attempts. That came three days after he became the first Lakers rookie since a guy named Jerry West to score 25 or more points in three consecutive games.