The Los Angeles Lakers visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet.
The Lakers came into Sunday’s game at the Utah Jazz having lost four of their last five contests, and they stopped the bleeding, at least temporarily, with a 105-104 win. Although they shot poorly, they locked down Utah when it mattered most and held it to 19 points in the fourth quarter.
With a 12-8 record, the Purple and Gold come into Monday’s game at Minnesota sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference. Minnesota is 9-10 and in 11th place, which is a far cry from the success they had last season when they won 56 games and reached the Western Conference Finals.
This will be the second game this season between these two teams. Los Angeles won the first matchup, 110-103, on opening night at Crypto.com Arena.
The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
Lakers vs Timberwolves injury updates:
Lakers: No injury report has been submitted yet, but Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain/contusion), Bronny James Jr. (left heel contusion), Austin Reaves (left pelvic contusion), Cam Reddish (illness), D’Angelo Russell (illness), Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery) and Christian Wood (left knee surgery recovery) missed their last game.
Timberwolves: Joe Ingles (left soleus strain) is out.
Advice and Prediction:
The Lakers were shorthanded throughout their roster on Sunday, and that will likely continue on Monday. Thus, they will be asking young players such as Max Christie, Dalton Knecht and Jalen Hood-Schifino to slow down Anthony Edwards, and that is asking a lot. With almost no viable depth available at the forward position, this could be a big game for Julius Randle, the former Lakers who was traded to Minnesota weeks before the start of this season.
Minnesota ranks ninth in defensive rating, and with the length and size it possesses, it can suffocate the Lakers defensively and make it difficult for them to get into the paint or get the ball to Anthony Davis. Davis feasted with 36 points and 16 rebounds in their first meeting versus Minnesota this season.
We feel that with a short turnaround from their last game and all the players they’re expected to be without, the Lakers will fall short to the Timberwolves.
Prediction: Timberwolves 115, Lakers 109
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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers vs. Timberwolves: Prediction, picks, odds
