The Minnesota Timberwolves battle the Los Angeles Lakers in a season-opening Western Conference matchup on Tuesday night. Minnesota has reached the postseason in each of the last three seasons, while Los Angeles has made the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. The Timberwolves (56-26 in 2023-24), who finished third in the Northwest Division and in the Western Conference, were 26-15 on the road last season. The Lakers (47-35), who were seventh in the West and third in the Pacific Division, were 28-14 on their home court in 2023-24. The Lakers have ruled out Jarred Vanderbilt (foot), Christian Wood (knee) and Christian Koloko (reconditioning), while Minnesota begins the year with a clean injury report.
Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10 p.m. ET. The Timberwolves are 1.5-point favorites in the latest Lakers vs. Timberwolves odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 220.5, down four points from th opener. Before making any Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six seasons. The model ended the 2023-24 season on a sizzling 94-61 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,800 in the process. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Timberwolves vs. Lakers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the Lakers vs. Timberwolves game:
- Timberwolves vs. Lakers spread: Minnesota -1.5
- Timberwolves vs. Lakers over/under: 220.5 points
- Timberwolves vs. Lakers money line: Minnesota -115, Los Angeles Lakers -104
- MIN: The Timberwolves have won 32 of their last 47 away games (+17.75 units on ML)
- LAL: The Lakers have won 25 of their last 39 games (+20.65 units on ML)
- Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Timberwolves vs. Lakers streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Timberwolves can cover
Helping lead the offense is shooting guard Anthony Edwards. The top pick of the 2020 NBA Draft led the Timberwolves in scoring last season, averaging 25.9 points per game in 79 games, including 78 starts. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 35.1 minutes of action. The two-time NBA All-Star scored a career-high 51 points last April 9 in a 130-121 win over the Washington Wizards.
Power forward Julius Randle, who was acquired from the New York Knicks earlier this month, averaged 24 points per game for New York last season in 46 appearances. He missed most of the year after having shoulder surgery. He had one triple-double and 17 double-doubles in 2023-24, and averaged 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 35.4 minutes. Randle scored a season-high 41 points in a 146-122 loss at Milwaukee last Dec. 5. See which team to pick here.
Why the Lakers can cover
Veteran small forward LeBron James, entering his 22nd season, is among the Lakers' many offensive weapons. He led Los Angeles in scoring at 25.7 points per game, along with averaging 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 35.3 minutes of action. In 71 regular-season games, James connected on 54% of his field goals, including 41% from 3-point range, and 75% of his free throws. James enters the season just 33 steals away from passing Scottie Pippen (2,307) for seventh-place all-time.
Also leading the Los Angeles attack is power forward Anthony Davis. In 76 games last season, Davis averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals in 35.5 minutes of play. Davis is 24 blocks away from passing Pau Gasol (607) for ninth place on the Lakers all-time blocks list, and 26 steals away from 1,000 career steals. Last season, Davis registered 64 double-doubles and two triple-doubles. See which team to pick here.
How to make Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks
The model has simulated Timberwolves vs. Lakers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over on the point total and it also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Lakers vs. Timberwolves, and which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Timberwolves spread you need to jump on, all from the model that was on a 94-61 roll on top-rated NBA picks last season, and find out.
