The Lakers look to begin another title run as they face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night. As the team with the better record, the Lakers will host, and a win for either side would lock in the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. The loser of this game will host the winner Pelicans vs. Thunder with the No. 8 seed on the line. Los Angeles is expected to have all its key contributors, while the Timberwolves will be without forward Jaden McDaniels (hand) and center Rudy Gobert, who is suspended after punching a teammate in the regular season final. Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) is listed as questionable but is widely expected to play in this pivotal matchup for Minnesota.
Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena is set for 10 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists Los Angeles as the 8.5-point favorite in the Lakers vs. Timberwolves odds. The over/under for total points is set at 233.5. Before making any Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters the 2023 NBA Play-in Tournament a stunning 71-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $3,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Timberwolves vs. Lakers and just locked in its picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Lakers vs. T'Wolves:
- Lakers vs. Timberwolves: Los Angeles -8.5
- Lakers vs. Timberwolves over/under: 233.5 points
- Lakers vs. Timberwolves money line: Los Angeles -385, Minnesota +300
- MIN: Timberwolves are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games
- LAL: Over is 8-0 in the Lakers' last eight overall
- Lakers vs. Timberwolves picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Lakers can cover
The 8.5-point spread is large for a game of this magnitude, but Minnesota is missing a pair of key players in McDaniels and Gobert. Both are key defensive stoppers who also average more than 12 points per game, so it will be a lot to overcome on both ends of the floor. LeBron James and the Lakers also enter this contest with a ton of momentum.
They won nine of their final 11 games, including a 123-11 road victory over the Timberwolves on March 31 where the Lakers easily covered the 1.5-point spread. Los Angeles hasn't struggled with larger spreads, covering in three out of four chances this season when the spread was between -7 and -10. Minnesota, meanwhile, is just 3-5 ATS as an underdog within that margin.
Why the Timberwolves can cover
Guard Anthony Edwards is a very explosive and dynamic scorer. Edwards uses his leaping ability to soar above the rim and has a reliable jumper on the outside. The Georgia product leads the team in scoring (24.6) and steals (1.6) with 4.4 assists per contest. In his most recent outing against the Pelicans, he amassed 24 points, 13 rebounds and four steals.
Towns is a great passer for a big and has a soft shooting touch from beyond the arc. The Kentucky product averages 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. In his last game on Monday, Towns tied a season-high with 30 points against the Pelicans to go along with eight rebounds. Towns also averaged 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in two regular season matchups against the Lakers.
How to make Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 228 points. The model also says one side of the spread has all of the value. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who Timberwolves vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread has all of the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
