Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers Preview Dec 17
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers betting preview for Friday, December 17. At the time of posting, this game has opened as a pick’em with the total sitting at 221 points.
Stay on top of the latest NBA updates direct from Las Vegas!
| Fri, Dec 17 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Minnesota Timberwolves pick’em vs Los Angeles Lakers |
| Total: | 221 Points |
| Game Time: | 10:10pm ET / 10:10pm PT |
| Arena: | Target Center in Minneapolis |
| TV: | ESPN |
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers Predictions
In the second game of a Friday night NBA on ESPN double-header, the Los Angeles Lakers head to the Target Center for a showdown with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 16-13 Lakers have won three straight games and are now tied for 5th place in the Western Conference. After two straight wins the Minnesota Timberwolves are 13-15 and climbing up the standings out West.
This is the second of four meetings between these teams, the Timberwolves won the first matchup in Los Angeles by a score of 107-83. However, the Lebron James didn’t play in that game and the Lakers were in horrible form at that time.
The Timberwolves are coming off a huge road win over the Denver Nuggets by a score of 124-107 on Wednesday night. Minnesota exploded for 75 first half points and never looked back. They nailed 23 of 48 three-pointer shots and shot 51% from the field overall. Karl-Anthony Towns leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 24 and 9 respectively. Anthony Edwards has also been a key contributor in his sophomore campaign, averaging 22 points a game on 36% shooting from downtown. The Timberwolves rank 12th in both scoring and defensive rating on the season.
The Lakers pulled out a 107-104 overtime victory in Dallas over the Mavericks on Wednesday night. Los Angeles is definitely enjoying having Lebron James back in the lineup, as he’s averaged 26 points while playing in 17 of their 29 contests. Anthony Davis is right behind him with 23.8 points a game, while leading the team in rebounding with 10.2 per game.
The Lakers have played at fastest pace in the league, mostly due to Russell Westbrook flying down the court at breakneck speed. Offensively the Lakers in a great position as they average 111 points a game, good for 6th in the NBA. Defensively they need to tighten things up as they also allow 111 points a game, ranking them 25th.
The Lakers will be short-handed on Friday night as Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard, and Talen Horton-Tucker are all in health and safety protocols.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are favored by one point with a total of 221 points. There isn’t much to be gleaned from either teams against the spread records on the season. Both teams are in great form recently, so picking a side seems near impossible. The Lakers aren’t the only team who plays at fast pace, as they rank 1st while the Timberwolves are 5th in the league.
Minnesota has opted to use their increased number of possessions to hoist tons of shots from beyond the arc. On average the Twolves take 42 three-pointers a game and the Lakers defense ranks 25th in opponent three-pointer shooting percentage. Anthony Davis should be able to have his way against a Timberwolves defense that struggles to keep opposing big men from scoring.
All signs point to over in this game, even without Russell Westbrook leading the charge for the Lakers. The Lakers allow over 24 points a game to opposing point guards, which is 4th most in the league.
D’Angelo Russell’s over/under for points is set at 18.5 and he averages 18.8 points a game. He’s been taking a ton of shots and has cleared 18.5 points in 4 of his last 6 games. He also scored 22 in the first game against the Lakers this season. We will take on shot on Russell over 18.5 points for our player prop.
Official Play: OVER 221
Official Player Prop: D’Angelo Russell Over 18.5 points
🎄Looking to take your betting to the next level in 2022? Check out our End-of-Year special: Buy a 90-Day All-Access pass from your favorite handicapper, and we’ll double it to 180 days at no additional cost. All plays. All games. All sports.
➡️https://t.co/bcT1PMtvnV pic.twitter.com/BeGrFOVH88— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 16, 2021
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers Analysis from The GoldSheet
Russell Westbrook is the latest Lakers and high-profile NBA star to be forced to sit due to Covid protocols as the league scrambles around the latest wave of positive tests. Protocols are being adjusted while some are suggesting perhaps measuring virus loads as opposed to the straight PCR test, but we’ll let the experts decide upon the next moves while noting none of that is going to get Westbrook or Avery Bradley (also sidelined on Thursday) available for LA, developments which also have prompted the signing of G Isaiah Thomas as a hardship exemption with three other Lakers (Dwight Howard, Malik Monk, and Talen Horton-Tucker) sidelined earlier in the week.
The Lake Show does happen to be on its longest win streak of the season (3) after surviving OT vs. the Mavs on Wednesday, and AD off of one of this best games of the season (29 & 12). But LA might be catching the streaky T-wolves at the wrong time, as after things seemed to be unraveling, all of a sudden Minny won on the road at Portland and Denver, with both Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns clearing 30 points in the Nuggets win (Edwards’ 38 points included 10 triples, the most in T-wolves’ history).
There’s a revenge angle here for LA after being humbled 107-83 by Minny at Staples Center back on Nov, 12, a night in which the Wolves won the 3rd Q by a whopping 40-12 margin, but keep in mind no LeBron that night. The question in the return match is if King James’ supporting cast is too depleted to make the payback work.
Friday’s NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Click here to download Friday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri, Tony Mejia, Andy Lang and Kevin Dolan for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers clash, from a betting perspective.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Friday’s NBA games, including this Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers showdown, from your desktop or phone.
**************************************************
Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?
- Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
- Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
- Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.
Make sure to bookmark all the above!
