Minnesota Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Prediction NBA Picks 10/22/24

The Minnesota Timberwolves and LA Lakers meet Tuesday in NBA action at the crypto.com Arena. Here’s a Minnesota Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Prediction. This article will include a Minnesota Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Pick.

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview

The Timberwolves play the Kings and Raptors following this contest. The Minnesota Timberwolves won 56 games last season and a playoff series for the first time since 2003-04. The Timberwolves decided it wasn’t enough and made big offseason changes.

The Timberwolves just traded away Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. It puts more pressure on Naz Reid as the backup and provides more room for Anthony Edwards to work. Randle will have to stay healthy for the trade to be successful, but I don’t hate the move in terms of depth and the Timberwolves getting a dog in DiVincenzo. The Timberwolves haven’t won a playoff series in back to back seasons in franchise history. The Timberwolves also haven’t won 50-plus games in back to back seasons since the 2003-04 season. Minnesota is in foreign territory at the moment.

Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview

The Lakers play the Suns and Kings after this game. The Los Angeles Lakers won 47 games last season, lost in the first round, and now begin the JJ Redick era. Outside of losing Taurean Prince to Milwaukee, this Lakers roster is the same.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will do most of the heavy lifting, Austin Reaves will be solid at both ends of the floor, and you just hope D’Angelo Russell can be consistent. Getting a healthy Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt would help the second unit, as they missed a gang of time last year. There’s reason to doubt the Lakers, as there’s a new coaching staff and there’s no trustworthy players on the roster outside of LeBron, Reaves and AD. However, there’s still hope in LA as long as those 3 are leading the charge.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Injury Report

The Timberwolves don’t have any players listed on their injury report. The Lakers will be without Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee).

Why the Los Angeles Lakers will win

• The Timberwolves have lost five of their last six games as favorites against Western Conference opponents.
• The home team has won four of the Lakers’ last five games.
• The underdogs have covered the spread in each of the Lakers’ last four games.
• The Timberwolves have failed to cover the spread in five of their last six games as favorites against Western Conference opponents.

Los Angeles Lakers Player Facts

• Rui Hachimura ranked 4th amongst qualified Forwards for 3P% (42.2%) last season.
• D’Angelo Russell ranked 17th amongst qualified players for assists per game (6.3) last season.

Minnesota Timberwolves Player Facts

• Anthony Edwards ranked T3rd in the league for fast break points (310) last season.
• Donte DiVincenzo ranked 4th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made Per Game (3.5) last season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Lakers ranked 30th for second chance points (713) last season.
• The Lakers ranked 30th for second chance points per game (8.7) last season.
• The Timberwolves ranked 1st in the league for opponent field goals made per game last season (39.0).
• The Timberwolves were the only team to win 20+ games when trailing after Q1 last season.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs LA Lakers Prediction

The Timberwolves are the better team on paper and have won 6 of the last 9 games against the Lakers, so they probably should be favored. However, the Timberwolves also made a major roster change just a couple of weeks ago, and it could take time to adjust. The Lakers are healthy for the most part, they’re at home, and they know they have to get off to a fast start to better position themselves come April. This is a chance for the Lakers to strike early while the Timberwolves still try to figure things out without Towns. I’ll grab the free bucket. 

Randy Chambers's Pick: LA Lakers +1.5