The Los Angeles Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, but it was unfortunately lacking the prime matchup most wanted to see: LeBron James vs. Derrick Rose. Both players sat out due to injuries, so fans were deprived of the MVP matchup.

Still, that won't stop us from looking back at some of their previous big-time battles. While Rose's teams have had some success against LeBron in the regular season (12-10 in favor of LeBron), James has defeated Rose in every playoff series they've played. In 2011, fans thought this would be the premier matchup in the Eastern Conference for the next decade, but injuries derailed that future.

Since meeting in 2008, James has averaged 27.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in their meetings versus Rose's 20.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Here's a list of the top five games that James and Rose have played against each other.

April 22, 2010: Bulls upset the Cavs to give themselves hope in series

The Bulls had taken the Celtics to seven games the year before as a No. 7 seed. This time around, the Bulls snuck into the eighth seed against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had just come off another 60-win season.

LeBron James
David Zalubowski/The Associated Press

After claiming the first two games at home, the Cavs traveled to the United Center to push the series out of reach, but Rose and the Bulls would not let the series die so easily.

Their defense braced for the Cavs' best punch. The Cavs made a franchise record 14 3-pointers, but they could not overcome the Bulls in a 108-106 thriller. The Bulls still faced a deficit, but they avoided the dreaded 3-0 hole that no NBA team has come back from.

While it took all 48 minutes, the Bulls showed the grit to compete with the East's best team, even if only for a game. It's that type of fight that has defined Rose's career, ratcheting up his game and taking his team with him when all the chips are down. In this case, stunning the Cavs and making fans give the series a harder look before writing it off was a key moment in the D-Rose-LeBron James rivalry.

LeBron nearly recorded a triple-double with 39 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, while Rose posted 31 points and seven assists. Rose went at LeBron down the stretch and made enough plays to win this game, but the Cavs took the series in five.

May 8, 2015: Derrick Rose gives the Bulls the series lead at the buzzer

After tearing his ACL in 2012, Rose finally had his next chance at playoff basketball. The last full series he had played resulted in an exit against LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 2o11.

The Cavs-Bulls rivalry had been heating up the entire season. With the Bulls playing the Cavs tough during the regular season, the Kevin Love injury in the Celtics series, and the classic rivalry matchup, it looked to be the rematch that fans had been waiting for.

The Bulls had a bit more reason to be optimistic than against Miami's formidable Big 3. Jimmy Butler had developed into a solid two-way player, Joakim Noah had not succumbed as severely to his injuries, and it seemed that the Bulls had the depth and formula to bother a banged-up Cavs team.

Both teams traded blows, with Rose and LeBron leading the way for both of their teams. They fought in an emotional game, with J.R. Smith hitting a dagger triple from the top of the key to send the game into overtime.

However, Rose had other ideas. Off the inbounds pass, in perhaps his most triumphant moment since returning from injury, he hit a game-winning 3-pointer to erupt the Chicago crowd and give the Bulls a 2-1 series lead:

James had 24 points to go along with 14 assists and eight rebounds, while Rose notched 30 points with seven rebounds and seven assists.

May 10, 2015: LeBron answers back to tie series at the buzzer

After Rose's buzzer-beater, the Cavs faced a dire situation: win in Chicago, or go down 3-1. While a similar bunch would show that a 3-1 lead isn't insurmountable, losing this game would put pressure on the Cavs early in the playoffs. With injuries to Love and nagging day-to-day injuries to Irving, the Cavs couldn't afford to be that deep in the hole.

Irving's return boosted the Cavs and made Rose work a little harder on the defensive end. While turning in a poor game offensively, Rose scored only 13 points this game compared to James' 31.

Still, both teams battled hard against each other, and it came down to the wire much like their last matchup. Both former MVPs would deliver clutch baskets to keep their team's hopes alive. After an offensive foul call on LeBron, Rose blew by the Cavs' perimeter defense to make a tough layup at the rim to tie the game. With the game tied and less than two seconds left on the clock, LeBron hit a buzzer-beater while falling out of bounds to put the Bulls away, 86-84:

Rose scored 31 points, and James had 25 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists.

May 15, 2011: Heat vs. Bulls, Eastern Conference Finals Game 1

At the end of the 2010-2011 season, the MVP award went to Derrick Rose, allowing him to join elite names who had won in recent years, such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. After winning the No. 1 seed and clawing their way to the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced Miami's newly formed Big 3.

Showing their fight at home, the Bulls played inspired defense against LeBron as Rose ran through the Heat like they weren't even there. Lining up for free throws, he was showered with MVP chants. They routed the East's favorites by 21 points.

Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose

While the Heat would go on to win the rest of the games in the series, the game marked the first time that the Heat's Big 3 allowed over 100 points in the playoffs.

Rose scored 28 points with six assists, while the Bulls held LeBron James to 15 points.

Nov. 7, 2018: Timberwolves and Lakers show that even in Western Conference, this matchup is still special.

Even when playing in the Western Conference, the Derrick Rose-LeBron James matchup finds a way to excite. Rose was reunited with former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau (though that reunion is now over) after a brief, ugly stint with Cleveland, and he found a way to reinvent his game on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With the electric-paced Lakers pushing the fast break at every chance, Rose had the opportunity to play quickly and showcase his newly obtained 3-point shot. Prior to this year, Rose had never been viewed as a 3-point shooter.

It seemed as if Rose's shooting woes disappeared. After trailing by eight with less than 1:30 to go, Rose hit a pair of triples to bring the Timberwolves within two points. The Lakers managed to pull out a 114-110 win.

Rose scored 31 points, and LeBron James nearly recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists as the Lakers secured the game in the last seconds.