- What: NBA Regular Season Game
- When: December 13, 2024
- Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Time: 5:00 p.m. PST
- Where: Target Center (Minneapolis, MN)
The Los Angeles Lakers (13-11) will play the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-11) in an NBA matchup tonight. The game will begin at 8 p.m. ET at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves are favored by 8.5 points against the Lakers (Wolves -8.5), and the over/under for the total score is set at 213.5 points. Minnesota has odds of -375 to win the game outright, while Los Angeles is listed at +290 for a potential upset victory.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are set to face the Timberwolves, but they’ll be missing LeBron James for personal reasons. In his absence, the team is expected to rely even more heavily on Anthony Davis.
However, the injury report doesn’t end with LeBron. Austin Reaves is listed as questionable with a pelvis issue, while Anthony Davis is considered probable with a foot concern.
Lakers in Minnesota
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????: ESPN LA 710/1330 KWKW pic.twitter.com/PGfTOIAmU1— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 13, 2024
Jalen Hood-Schifino is out with a hamstring injury, leaving the Lakers’ roster somewhat limited compared to the Timberwolves, who only have Joe Ingles on their injury report.
In terms of performance, the Lakers have struggled with a -2.2 Adjusted Net Rating, ranking below average in various advanced stats.
While their offense has been decent, sitting at 11th with a rating of 113.3, their defense ranks as the sixth-worst in the league, giving up 115.6 points.
Moreover, in the games where Anthony Davis has played without LeBron James over the past three seasons, he has averaged 27.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Minnesota Timberwolves
As for Minnesota, their offensive output has struggled a bit, currently ranked 18th with a rating of 112.1, but their defense remains impressive, sitting at 4th with a rating of 108.3.
This puts them at the eighth-best Adjusted Net Rating in the league at +3.7, according to Dunks and Threes.
In their first two meetings this season, the Lakers and Timberwolves split the series, with Los Angeles winning 110-103 and Minnesota taking the other game 109-80.
The Lakers have had a tough time from beyond the arc in both matchups, failing to find an advantage against Minnesota’s strong defense.
your plans for Friday the 13th. pic.twitter.com/7KrLsz4bAl
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) December 13, 2024
Rudy Gobert has consistently performed well against Anthony Davis, achieving double-doubles in seven consecutive matchups with him.
On the offensive end, Davis has also had notable success against Gobert, averaging 31.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in the last six games where he played at least 20 minutes.
Lakers-Timberwolves Best Bet
The Timberwolves have the edge here due to their health and strength from beyond the arc, which is an area that the Lakers have struggled from on both offense and defense.
Considering Minnesota’s defense should be able to hold up with the extra rest, I’ll lay the points with the home favorite in this matchup.
Timberwolves -8.5 Points at BetMGM at -110 odds is the best bet in this one.
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
