Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers NBA Picks, Odds, Predictions 2/16/21

The Los Angeles Lakers travel to the Target Center to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been in great form as they have won 10 of their past 13 games and they were riding a seven-game win streak before getting stopped by the Nuggets in a 122-105 road loss on Sunday. LeBron James led the team with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Kyle Kuzma added 19 points on eight of 12 shooting off the bench while Anthony Davis chipped in with 15 points before leaving the game with Achilles soreness which could see him miss some significant time. As a team, the Lakers shot 46 percent from the field and six of 28 from the 3-point line as they allowed 40 points in the second quarter to fall behind by double-digits going into halftime, before getting blown out in the third quarter where they trailed by as many as 21 points.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been struggling lately as they’ve lost six of their past eight games, but they will be hoping to build some momentum after sneaking past the Raptors in a 116-112 road win on Sunday. Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks on eight of 11 shooting, Malik Beasley added 20 points and six assists, Anthony Edwards scored 18 points while Ricky Rubio chipped in with 16 points and five assists. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 52 percent from the field and 16 of 39 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in trouble after falling behind at halftime, before they never trailed again after going on a pivotal 17-2 run in the third quarter.

Looking at the betting trends, the Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games, 0-4 ATS in their last four games against a team with a losing record and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. The Timberwolves are 12-27 ATS in their last 39 home games, 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning record and 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games overall.

Head to head, the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings overall, the Lakers are 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings in Minnesota and the Lakers are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings overall.

Anthony Davis will be re-evaluated in about two weeks after tweaking his right calf/Achilles on Sunday, so the Lakers will be shorthanded for this one, while the Timberwolves will still be without shorthanded as D’Angelo Russell has already been ruled out. The loss of Davis is big for the Lakers, but they would have more than enough to overcome the slumping Timberwolves so it’s no surprise that they’re favorites here. I’m just not comfortable with the line, especially because the Lakers are only 1-5 ATS in their last six road games, so I’m taking the Timberwolves with the line at home.