NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Lakers Preview, Odds, Prediction

Minnesota Timberwolves host the struggling LA Lakers. While the T-Wolves won four of the past five, the Lakers have only one triumph in the same number of events. That’s pretty much all you need to know regarding the respective forms of these two sides. For the moment, it appears that the purple and gold won’t reach the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs. Also, there are numerous stories about LeBron James’ future in LA, and the fact that he probably won’t stay until the end of the contract.

Preview

LA Lakers (29-39, +320) have three victories in the latest 14 contests. That’s pretty lousy, even for much weaker teams than the Lakers, who do have two former MVPs in the starting lineup. One of them, LBJ, uses the current situation to have superb performances and at least keep the publicity surrounding the Lakers at a high level.

Toronto Raptors beat the Lakers in their most recent game, 114-103, at the Crypto.com Arena. Everything was already over in the first period, once the Raptors created a 33-12 advantage, humiliating the purple and gold.

LeBron had 30 points, with nine boards and 11-for-19 shooting from the field. Talen Horton-Tucker was the next best thing with 20 points, five boards and assists, and Russell Westbrook added 14 points, eight rebounds, and four dimes.

Minnesota Timberwolves (40-30, -420) are in excellent shape, having won eight of the recent nine games. The last one was spectacular, with Karl Anthony-Towns going off and scoring 60 points and having 17 rebounds. It was one of the best performances of any player in the NBA this year. By the way, the T-Wolves beat the San Antonio Spurs, 149-139.

KAT and the boys dropped 17 threes in 33 attempts, and their field-goal shooting percentage was even higher 57.8%. Minnesota is a crew that solely focuses on the offense, not spending the least amount of energy on the defensive assignments. So it’s no wonder to see them allowing 139 points.

Patrick Beverly dropped 20 points and had eight assists, while D’Angelo Russell scored 19 buckets and had six assists. Antony Edwards didn’t have his night, playing 30 minutes and scoring 5 buckets. He hasn’t been at his usual level in the past few games, but nobody notices that due to the fantastic performances T-Wolves provide.

Head to Head Games

This is the fourth meeting between the Lakers and the Timberwolves this year. Minnesota was better in the opening two events, winning in LA 107-83, and after that in Minneapolis, 110-92. The Lakers would win the third one that took place in California, 108-103.

Prediction

The difference in form is so big that we won’t explain it too much. As said, the Lakers are 3-11, while on the other side, the T-Wolves are 8-1 in recent times. Also, the chemistry in the respective units is incomparable, with the LAL falling apart, and the Wolves growing from game to game. The current spread that Minnesota needs to cover is -8.5 points, and in our opinion, they should cover it. The reason for that is their fantastic offensive potential which can’t be matched by the purple and gold.

Pick: Timberwolves -8.5