Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Lakers Prediction, NBA Odds
The Lakers are 5.5-point favourites on the NBA odds with a total of 226.5.
Timberwolves vs. Lakers NBA Betting Odds
The Western Conference is so deep that at least one good team is going to miss out on the play-in tournament. Right now, that good club would be Phoenix despite having future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and Devin Booker on the roster. Minnesota could land anywhere from the West play-in tournament to perhaps finishing as the sixth seed and getting entry to the full-field playoffs. To reach the play-in, the Wolves are +125 and for the full playoffs are -1000.
They of course reached the 2024 West Finals, losing to Dallas, but then made the shocking offseason trade of All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to New York, and the Timberwolves have taken a step back. The Lakers made the biggest trade of this year or many years in landing Luka Doncic from Dallas earlier this month and now they are all but locks to avoid the play-in tournament sitting fifth in the West. It’s just a matter of whether L.A. get finish in the top four and get home-court advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs.
This is the final meeting of the regular season between the teams with Minnesota leading 2-1, but both wins coming at home and all three games in the series back in the 2024 portion of the schedule and obviously before the Doncic trade. Wolves superstar Anthony Edwards is averaging only 19.3 points in the three games, while LeBron James is averaging 13.0 points 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two games.
Minnesota is 7-3 SU & 5-5 ATS in the past 10 meetings. The under has hit in three straight.
Minnesota Timberwolves
It could be the biggest letdown game of the season for the Timberwolves after their incredibly unlikely 131-128 OT home win at Western Conference-best Oklahoma City on Monday. The win alone would be enough for a flat effort here, but the Wolves were down as many as 25 points in the second half and 22 points entering the fourth. And Minnesota’s fourth-quarter rally came without easily its best player in All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, who played just 3 ½ minutes in the quarter because the reserves were playing so well. Edwards had only 17 points but a crucial block of a potential go-ahead lineup late in overtime. The Wolves were without three other injured starters in guard Donte DiVincenzo, forward Julius Randle and center and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. The first two, acquired from the Knicks in the offseason in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, have been out weeks and Randle won’t return tonight, but DiVincenzo is questionable as is Edwards (he usually plays through those tags). Gobert is out again. Minnesota is 6-3 ATS in its past nine games.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are off a highly charged game of their own, beating visiting Dallas, 107-99, on Tuesday in superstar Luka Doncic’s first game against the Mavericks since that earth-shattering trade from Dallas earlier this month. Perhaps in no surprise, Doncic had a triple-double against his former club of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists. He became only the third player to record a triple-double against every NBA franchise in the process along with new teammate LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. James led the way with 27 points Tuesday, while Austin Reaves also had 20. LeBron had 16 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter as L.A. won for the third time in a row and 13th time in the past 16 games. Entering that game, Coach JJ Redick said the Lakers offence going forward would run through Luka. The Lakers are 8-3 ATS in their past 11.
MIN
LAL