The Minnesota Timberwolves (32-27) travel to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers (35-21) on Thursday, February 27th. This game will be played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and televised on SN-LA. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 10:30 ET.

Timberwolves vs Lakers

The Timberwolves Are Coming Off A Win

The Timberwolves improved to 32-27 on the season with a 131-128 win over the Thunder on Monday. Minnesota, who entered the game as +11.5 point underdogs, not only won but also covered the spread. The total points for the game reached 259, surpassing the O/U line of 228 by 31 points.

Minnesota’s comeback was fueled by a dominant 4th quarter, where they outscored the Thunder 41-19. A key moment was a 16-0 run that stretched the score from 121-106 to 137-106.

The Lakers Are Coming Off A Win

The Lakers improved to 35-21 on the season with a 107-99 win over the Mavericks on Tuesday. Playing at home, Los Angeles was favored by 9 points but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points fell well short of the 231-point O/U line, with the teams combining for just 206 points.

Los Angeles jumped out to a 28-20 lead after the 1st quarter, but the Mavericks fought back, winning the 3rd quarter 26-19. The Lakers entered the 4th quarter with a slim 78-77 lead but pulled away by outscoring Dallas 29-22 in the final period.

Timberwolves Offense Breakdown

In their 131-128 win over the Thunder, the Timberwolves shot 45.4% from the field and struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 9 threes at a 28.1% rate. Jaden McDaniels led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 56.2% from the floor.

Naz Reid added 22 points, including 9 in the 3rd quarter and 4 in overtime. Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 21 points, with 6 coming in both the 3rd and 4th quarters, and another 4 in OT.

Lakers Offense Breakdown

LeBron James led the Lakers to a win over the Mavericks, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, with 16 of his points coming in the 4th quarter. Austin Reaves added 20 points, scoring 10 in the 2nd quarter.

The Lakers struggled from three-point range, hitting just 27.5% with 11 made threes, and finished with a 44.8% overall field goal percentage.

Timberwolves Team Defense

Despite giving up 128 points, the Timberwolves tightened up defensively in the 4th quarter, allowing just 19 points to secure the win. They gave up 32 points in both the 1st and 2nd quarters and 38 in the 3rd. Overall, they held the Thunder to 42% shooting from the field.

Minnesota did well defending the three, with the Thunder hitting only 15 threes at a 30% clip. The Timberwolves sent the Thunder to the line 29 times, where they made 23 free throws. On the boards, Minnesota allowed 16 offensive rebounds while recording 6 steals and 5 blocks.

Lakers Team Defense

Despite allowing 128 points, the Timberwolves tightened up defensively in the 4th quarter, giving up just 19 points to secure the win. They held the Thunder to 42% shooting from the field.

Minnesota also limited Oklahoma City’s three-point shooting, allowing 15 threes on 30% shooting. The Timberwolves finished with 43 defensive rebounds, while giving up 16 offensive boards.

Timberwolves vs Lakers Trends

• In their last five road games, Minnesota has averaged 122 points per game while allowing 120 . The team’s record in this stretch was 3-2 while going 3-2 vs. the spread.
• Although Los Angeles has a straight up record of 7-3 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 6-3-1. The team averaged 117 points per game in these games.
• Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Timberwolves have a straight up record of 5-5. But, their mark vs the spread was just 7-3.
• In their last five contests as the favorite, Los Angeles has a poor record vs the spread going 2-3. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 3-2.

Timberwolves vs Lakers Prediction

We’re calling a win for the Lakers, with a final score of 127-97, and we’re taking them to cover the spread. Our recommendation is to bet on the Lakers at -5.5.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 225, and our model predicts the Timberwolves and Lakers to score a combined 224 points. We recommend betting on 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.