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The Minnesota Timberwolves and LA Lakers square off on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena. It's their season series' fourth and final matchup, which the Timberwolves lead 2-1. Minnesota has been the better team all year due to its tremendous consistency, but the Lakers have matched up well against Anthony Edwards and Co.
On Sunday, the Lakers enter the contest as the eighth seed with a 45-33 record, while the 53-24 Timberwolves are second. But a significant momentum shift for LA with nine wins in 10 games could make this a 50-50 game.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Lakers preview, betting tips, odds and prediction
Money line: Timberwolves +110, Lakers -130
Spread: Timberwolves +2 (-112), Lakers -2 (-108)
Total (o/u): Timberwolves o220 (-111), Lakers u220 (-111)
Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Lakers: Preview
The Timberwolves have been consistent over the last few games, winning seven of their last 10 games. However, they have two losses in the past four, including Friday's 97-87 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
Amid this 10-game stretch, the Timberwolves' offense has been their weakness. They are 16th with a 113.9 offensive rating and second on defense with a 104.2 efficiency.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who will miss Sunday's contest, remains a big miss for Minnesota amid its offensive struggles. That could hinder Chris Finch's team against an in-form Lakers team that's top-10 offensively and defensively over its 9-1 run.
The schedule has been easy with several opponents under .500, but that shouldn't overshadow the Lakers' consistency. They may have lost some of these games until they found a break in February with their lineups and schemes. LA's offense will have to rely heavily on LeBron James and Anthony Davis' physicality to come out on top against the Timberwolves' efficient defense.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Lakers: Starting Lineups, Subs and Rotations
Timberwolves' starting lineup:
PG - Mike Conley, SG - Anthony Edwards, SF - Jaden McDaniels, PF - Naz Reid, C - Rudy Gobert
With the rotations shortening, the Timberwolves will likely stick to an eight-man lineup with Nickeil Walker-Alexander, Kyle Anderson and Monte Morris playing crucial minutes off the bench.
Lakers' starting lineup:
PG - D'Angelo Russell, SG - Austin Reaves, SF - LeBron James, PF - Rui Hachimura, C - Anthony Davis
The Lakers have a settled starting unit, and the rotations also seem crisp. Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince remain likelier to play the most minutes, while Jaxson Hayes and Gabe Vincent could play significant roles, too.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Lakers: Betting Tips
Anthony Edwards is favored to score under 27.5 points. Edwards has scored over 27 points only once in his last five outings. He has also been in a slump, failing to shoot over 50.0% in his last eight games.
LeBron James is favored to score over 23.5 points. He has averaged 24.7 ppg in his last nine games and scored 24 or more points in three of his last four games.
Anthony Davis is favored to record under 13.5 rebounds and over 1.5 blocks. He has grabbed 14 or more rebounds in four of his last five appearances and averaged 2.4 blocks.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Lakers: Prediction
The LA Lakers are marginal favorites to win, per the oddsmakers, with a -130 money line and -2 spread. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves could cause an upset as they are favored to cover a +4 spread.
The Lakers have a better chance to win because of their recent record (9-1) and homecourt advantage. With Karl-Anthony Towns out, the Timberwolves could struggle against LA's defense to score efficiently.
