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We're back with another betting prediction and pick in the NBA as we head towards this next matchup in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers (12-8) will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (9-10) in their first meeting since both teams' season opener. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Lakers-Timberwolves prediction and pick.
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently sixth in the Western Conference and second in the Pacific Division behind Golden State. They've gone 2-3 over their last five games, but they come into this one fresh off a 105-104 victory over the Utah Jazz. They come into this game as the moderate betting underdogs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently eleventh in the Western Conference and they've got some ground to make up following their losing start to the season. They've gone just 1-4 in their last five games, but won their most recent game 93-92 over the Los Angeles Clippers. They'll look to continue redeeming themselves in this spot against the Lakers.
Here are the Lakers-Timberwolves NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Lakers-Timberwolves Odds
Los Angeles Lakers: +8 (-110)
Moneyline: +270
Minnesota Timberwolves: -8 (-110)
Moneyline: -335
Over: 219 (-110)
Under: 219 (-110)
How To Watch Lakers vs. Timberwolves
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT
TV: NBA TV
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Lakers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Lakers got the best of the Timberwolves in their season opener with a 110-103 victory over one of the top teams in the Conference last season. Narratives from last season have somewhat flipped and the Los Angeles Lakers look like a formidable contender due to the MVP-level of play from Anthony Davis and the emergence of Dalton Knecht as the team's new sharpshooter. Under Head Coach JJ Redick, Knecht stands to learn a great deal in developing his game and becoming a go-to scorer on this team for years to come.
The Lakers are also seeing another high level of play from LeBron James as he continues to defy Father Time in his quest as the greatest ever. He scored 27 points and notched 14 assists, having a part in almost half of the Laker's total scoring plays. He did go 0-9 from three-point range and we haven't seen him produce from behind the arc like he has in previous years, but his distribution of the ball to Anthony Davis is more than enough to keep this Lakers team on a winning path.
Why the Timberwolves Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Timberwolves have hit a rough patch this season and they're still working out the kinks of their new offense without Karl-Anthony Towns manning the middle. Anthony Edwards hasn't seen much regression in his game with 27.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 3.7 APG. Still, the rest of the squad needs to catch up to his production and improve their efforts in rebounding the basketball. Julius Randle is second on the team in points (21.2) and rebounds (6.9), but they're still waiting for him to return to his double-double form and begin to serve as a game changer for their team.
The Timberwolves are only averaging 111.2 PPG, placing them in the bottom half of the NBA and just ahead of the San Antonio Spurs. Their scoring troubles having compounded this year with just five of their players averaging in double figures, two of them being centers in Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert. The team is certainly one of the best on the defensive side of the ball, but they'll need to find answers on defense against proficient scoring teams like the Los Angeles Lakers.
Final Lakers-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick
This should be an interesting matchup as the Lakers took the first meeting in relatively easy fashion. With the betting line being where it is, we could still be waiting to hear some injury news come out of LA as the statuses of Russell, Reddish, and Reaves all remain in question. Still, this allows rookie Dalton Knecht to see some more playing time and earn minutes with some of the starting players in a game situation.
The Timberwolves have not lived up to their hype this season and it'll take some serious adjustments on the offensive end for this team to become competitive again. While they're doing a great job of limited opponents' scoring in the paint, they'll need to find consistent buckets from players like Jaden McDaniels instead of just relying on Anthony Edwards.
I like what we've seen from the Lakers and their chemistry over the last few games, so let's side with the points here and hope the underdogs can cover a wide spread.
Final Lakers-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Los Angeles Lakers +8 (-110)
