Minnesota Timberwolves (32-32) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (30-33)
March 3, 2023 10:30 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Lakers +2.5; Over/Under: +230.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Minnesota Timberwolves invade the Crypto.com Arena to battle the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled lately as they’ve lost four of their last six games overall, but they will be looking to build some momentum in this one after snapping a three-game skid with a 108-101 road win on Tuesday. Jaden McDaniels led the team with 20 points on eight of 12 shooting, Anthony Edwards added 18 points while Rudy Gobert chipped in with 16 points. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 47 percent from the field and nine of 26 from the 3-point line as they got off to a poor start and trailed by 12 points early on, but they kept their composure and dominated inside with 60 points in the paint to outpace the Clippers the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been in great form as they’ve won five of their last seven games overall and they will be eager to stay warm after beating the Thunder in a 123-117 road win on Wednesday. Dennis Schroder led the team with 26 points and six assists, Troy Brown Jr added 19 points on seven of 19 shooting while Austin Reaves scored 19 points on five of five shooting off the bench. As a team, the Lakers shot 47 percent from the field and 16 of 35 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep pace with the Thunder until the third quarter where they were able to use a pivotal 19-7 run to turn the tide and set up the much-needed victory to stay in the playoff hunt.
Looking at the betting trends, the Timberwolves are 0-5 ATS in their last five games following a win and 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record. The Lakers are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games playing on one days rest and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
Head to head, the under is 5-0 in the last five meetings overall and the Timberwolves are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings overall.
The Timberwolves are shorthanded again as Karl-Anthony Towns is still out and Jaylen Nowell is listed as questionable, while the Lakers are still missing D’Angelo Russell and LeBron James. The Timberwolves were really struggling before they pulled off the upset against the struggling Clippers in their last outing, while the Lakers have done well to keep their heads above water despite the absence of James. The Timberwolves are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings overall and I’m not surprised that they are favorites here, but the Lakers need this win more and I think they can get it done behind a big game Anthony Davis.
