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The Los Angeles Lakers will be at less than full strength yet again when they welcome in the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Staples Center tonight. LeBron James and company will once again be without Anthony Davis, amongst others with Minnesota in town.
Los Angeles is 26-13 overall and so far this year are 19-20-0 against the spread. The Timberwolves have been miserable all season, currently, a league-worst 9-30 and are 17-21-1 ATS. Let's continue our NBA odds series and make a Timberwolves Lakers prediction and pick.
This is how the sportsbooks are lining up Tuesday's matchup:
NBA Odds: Lakers vs Timberwolves odds
Los Angeles Lakers -8.5 (-106)
Minnesota Timberwolves +8.5 (-114)
Over 223 points (-110)
Under 223 points (-110)
Why the Timberwolves Could Cover the Spread
Overall, it's been a nightmare year for the Timberwolves. When D'Angelo Russell has been healthy, Karl-Anthony Towns hasn't. When Towns has been in the lineup, Russell hasn't. The combination of those two, along with the number one overall pick Anthony Edwards, has only played in four-game altogether this year.
Ryan Saunders was let go and the Wolves opted to go with a permanent hire in Chris Finch, luring him away from Toronto, instead of going with an interim coach from their own staff the rest of the year.
And while it hasn't been pretty by any stretch of the imagination, Minnesota has won two of three to get things going post-All-Star break. You can scoff at that all you want, but for a team with NINE total wins, winning two of their last three entering tonight is worth jotting down.
They've done it primarily on the offensive side of the ball, putting up 114 on the Portland Trail Blazers in their most recent game, and 135 against the New Orleans Pelicans in the other win during this stretch.
New head coach Chris Finch has made it a priority to get the ball in the hands of Karl-Anthony Towns as much as possible. The offense has looked much more fluid and much more reliable with this tinkering that Finch has done.
And we can't forget about the aforementioned Edwards. Along with being a highlight reel waiting to happen, Edwards has really settled in and exceeded many expectations so far this year.
He's a more confident shooter than most thought he would be this early in his career, and he's been a breath of fresh air with his positivity and energy as well. Minnesota doesn't have any big expectations for the rest of this season, so the pressure will be off them in games like this one against the Lakers.
The Timberwolves can cover by taking advantage of a banged-up Lakers team that is just 4-6 overall in their last 10 and by keeping the good vibes going with this resurgent offense that has come to life lately.
Why the Lakers Could Cover the Spread
The Lakers will look to sweep the season series against the Timberwolves with a win tonight. In two other matchups this year, the Lakers have won 127-91 and 112-104.
Yes the Lakers are missing pieces like Davis and Marc Gasol (health and safety protocols) but, the Lakers won both games against the Timberwolves already this year without Anthony Davis playing in either.
They played last night but Los Angeles was beating the Golden State Warriors by so much that LeBron only had to log 30 minutes. Normally, maybe you shy away from the back-to-back games but LeBron and others didn't have to empty out energy last night.
The Lakers are superior in just about every category to the Wolves that you can glance at. It's two polar opposite sides of the spectrum. On one end, you have the Wolves, the worst record in the NBA, and a team just keeping their fingers crossed that they end up picking in the top three next year so that their pick doesn't go to the Warriors. On the flip side is the Lakers, the defending champions poised to try and get right back to the top this postseason.
Los Angeles can cover the spread by rolling out a similar blueprint against the Wolves that they have twice this year, Overwhelm them early and ruin their spirit with the pieces around LeBron playing a major factor.
Final Lakers – Timberwolves Prediction and Pick
This is a matter of principle. Could the Wolves cover tonight? Sure. Am I going to take the team with the worst record in the association to do so on the road against the defending champs who just blew out the Warriors last night? No, I am not.
LeBron and the Lakers will carry over the momentum and the energy from last night's blowout victory and double down against the Timberwolves. I like the general direction that Finch has things headed, and the Wolves are playing better, but the Lakers are a different beast, even without Davis against this Minnesota team.
FINAL TIMBERWOLVES LAKERS PREDICTION: LAL 118, MIN 105 (LAL -8.5)
