Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Odds: LeBron Ready to Return to Playoffs
Timberwolves Falling Apart

Lakers Ready for Centre Stage
The LA Lakers will look to book their ticket to the NBA Playoffs when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the win-and-in play-in game out West. Let’s take a look at the Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Odds and see how these teams stack up right now.
The NBA standings 2023, boil down to shining moments such as these! The Timberwolves come into this game on the back of a drama-filled final day that saw them secure a huge 113-108 win at home to the New Orleans Pelicans. The good came with plenty of bad however, with starting forward Jaden McDaniels suffering a fractured hand after punching a wall in frustration on his way to the locker room.
That wasn’t even the main talking point as star forward Rudy Gobert was sent home at halftime following an altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson that resulted in the Frenchman throwing a punch at the former Memphis man. Despite all that the team managed to rally back from a double-digit deficit thanks to elite play from young sensation Anthony Edwards, who will now take on an even bigger role in this matchup against LeBron James and the Lakers.
This game has opened with the Lakers listed as 6.5-point favorites. The total for the game is currently set at 229.5 points.
Lakers Deserving Favorites
No team in the Western Conference has a better record than the Lakers since the All-Star break and that’s despite the team being without LeBron James for 11 games.
The team’s defense has elevated itself to being one of the best in the league and their offense seems revitalized behind the play of former Minnesota guard D’Angelo Russell.
Russell finished with 12 points and 10 assists when these teams met a couple of weeks ago but his pace and floor spacing has been pivotal in helping the Lakers reach the offensive expectations placed upon them. Having a catch-and-shoot threat that can play off Davis and LeBron is the perfect compliment for Darvin Ham’s team and containing them will be difficult given Minnesota is without their best on-ball defender.
The Lakers best offense comes off live rebounds in transition and their defense will be allowed to collapse in on the paint in the absence of true spacing for Minnesota, which in turn should lead to LA being able to control the pace and play on their terms.
While James and Davis tip the scale in LA’s favor in most matchups it’s also LA’s bench that has an edge in this one and when that’s the case it’s difficult to see how they don’t take care of business on their home floor.
Ant Ready to Shine
The one consistent shining light this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves has been the play of Anthony Edwards. The former number one overall pick has matured into the face of the franchise and his play in the 4th quarter against New Orleans highlighted just how special he can be.
Edwards has spoken about his desire to get back to the playoffs after his experience last season and his ability to take his game to another level in these pressure environments is a rare and admirable trait that will serve the team well in this matchup.
Given the team’s current status, they’ll need him to find that extra gear.
McDaniels is almost certain to miss this game and there’s no word on what the team will decide to do with Gobert at this stage. Given the magnitude of the game and the fact that they’re already without Naz Reid as their backup Center, the expectation would be that the former Defensive Player of the Year is welcomed back into the rotation, but the impact that might have on team chemistry remains to be seen.
The other Wolves star who will play a pivotal role in this matchup with be Karl-Anthony Towns, who will have the enviable task of dealing with Anthony Davis at both ends of the floor.
Towns’ ability to stretch the floor on offense could be what helps Minnesota unlock this Lakers defense if Davis is forced to follow him out to the perimeter and allow Edwards the opportunity to attack the lane with no rim protection.
While you’re certainly paying a premium to bet on the Lakers in this game it’s hard to fade them when their opponent is missing key pieces that could dictate the way the teams line up. The Lakers won the season series 2-1, including their most recent meeting at the start of the month (123-111 on 1 April).
Our best NBA betting lines play for this game is on the Under 229.5 points. Expect a half-court grind representative of a Game 7 atmosphere. The Timberwolves will severely miss the corner spacing from McDaniels and their bench is limited without Reid.
That’s all for our Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Odds preview. Be sure to check out all our NBA play-in previews at PointSpread.com.
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