The Los Angeles Lakers (15-13) travel to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-6) on Thursday, December 21st. This game will be played at Target Center. Both the Lakers and Timberwolves will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip off is scheduled for 9:00 ET.

Lakers vs Timberwolves

The Lakers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

In their most recent matchup, the Lakers conveyed a message to the Bulls with a score of 124-108. In addition to their straight-up loss, the Lakers also couldn’t meet the spread, coming up short as -3.5 point favorites. The over/under line entering this matchup was 224 points, and both teams achieved a total score that exceeded that line.

Heading into their matchup with the Timberwolves, the Lakers hold a 15-13 record and are hoping to end their three-game losing streak. Currently, they are 8th in the Western Conference and are 3rd in the Pacific division.

Los Angeles’ ATS record is currently below .500 at 11-17 for the season. During this season, Los Angeles has a 8-11 record against the spread as favorites and 3-6 as underdogs.

The Timberwolves Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Timberwolves’ most recent matchup against the 76ers saw Anthony Edwards lead the Timberwolves with 27 points while shooting 9/20 from the field. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 23 points, but Minnesota lost the game 127-113.

Coming into the game against the Lakers, the Timberwolves have an overall record of 20-6 and have gone 2-1 in their last three games. In the Western Conference, the Timberwolves are currently in 1st place and are also 1st in the Northwest division.

Minnesota has an overall ATS record of 14-11 as they come into today’s game. The Timberwolves are currently on a four game ATS win streak when they are the favorite, and they hold a 3-3 record against the spread as underdogs.

Lakers Offense Breakdown

This season, the Los Angeles offense is ranked 17th in the NBA in scoring at 113.6 points per game. When looking at the Lakers pace of play, they tend to play an up-tempo style of basketball. So far, the team is in the upper half of the NBA in possessions per game, averaging 100.6. Not only is the team playing at an up-tempo pace, but they have been able to pair this style with one of the better field goal percentages in the NBA at 48%.

Timberwolves Offense Breakdown

The Timberwolves come into today’s game as the 18th ranked scoring offense at 113.5 points per game. So far, the Timberwolves are averaging 98.1 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Not only does the team’s offense play at a slower pace, but they their overall lack of efficiency has them ranked 20th in made field goals per game.

Lakers Team Defense

On defense, Lakers is currently around the league average in points allowed, giving up an average of 113.9 points per game.

In the terms of takeaways, Lakers are causing 13.7 turnovers per game, ranking 20th in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 12th in rejections, averaging 5.6 blocked shots each game.

Timberwolves Team Defense

Minnesota’s defense has been playing well, ranking 1 in the NBA with 106.7 points allowed per game.

The Minnesota defense has allowed opponents to shoot 33.8% from beyond the arc this season. Opposing teams are also hitting 44.1% of their field goal attempts vs. Minnesota.

Key Players For The Lakers And Timberwolves

In today’s game, we anticipate Anthony Davis leading the scoring for the Lakers, contributing 19 points while shooting 7/13 from the field. This season, he is averaging 24 points per game along with 12.6 boards.

On the other side, Karl-Anthony Towns is our projected leading scorer for the Timberwolves. We have him ending the game with a team-high 16 and grabbing 7 rebounds. This season, he has put together a field goal percentage of 52%, and he is contributing 22.2 points per game on average.

Lakers vs Timberwolves Trends

• In their last five games away from home, the Lakers have a straight up record of 1-4 while going 0-5 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 116 points per game in these contests.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Minnesota has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 115 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• The last five games that Los Angeles was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-4 while going 1-4 straight up.
• The last ten games that Minnesota was favored, they have an ATS mark of 6-4 while going 9-1 straight up.

 

Lakers vs Timberwolves Prediction

 

Coming in as the underdogs at +5, we have the Lakers as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the moneyline.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 224.5 and our model has the Lakers and Timberwolves finishing with a combined 223 points. Our pick is to take the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.