MINNEAPOLIS — Kobe Bryant went to the bench late in the third quarter for a rest, and then the ultimate shot-taker delivered one of the first passes of his retirement tour.

As the Los Angeles Lakers played a tight game against the Minnesota Timberwolves into the fourth quarter, Bryant told coach Byron Scott to “let the kids play.”

It’s an approach Kevin Garnett has already been taking with his Timberwolves.

Kevin Martin scored 37 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 14 rebounds to lift the Timberwolves to a 123-122 overtime victory over the Lakers on Wednesday night.

“It’s amazing to see the league, see how it’s going and how much young talent is present,” Towns said. “It’s a great thing to see we’re taking up from the people that have come before us and trying to play at a high level.”

Martin went 6 for 9 from 3-point range and scored 17 in the fourth quarter to help the Timberwolves (9-12) improve to 3-9 at home this season. Towns made 11 of 19 shots and tied a career high for rebounds.

D’Angelo Russell scored a career-high 23 points and Julius Randle had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers (3-19) in what was likely Bryant’s last game in Minnesota. Bryant scored 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting, but sat the entire fourth quarter and overtime.

“They were playing with good energy and great momentum,” Bryant said of Russell and Randle. “Just let ‘em go.”

Russell scored nine of the Lakers’ final 11 points in regulation, including a runner with 2.2 seconds to play to force overtime. But Martin hit a 3 and Andrew Wiggins scored on a runner with 55 seconds left in the extra period.

The Lakers had a chance to win in overtime, but Russell and Roy Hibbert missed jumpers in the final 9.4 seconds.

“I mean, that’s an honor for him to say something like that knowing that he could have easily told Coach he wants that shot just to add to his collection,” Russell said of Bryant. “He probably would have made it.”