The Lakers and Timberwolves face off in a small four-game slate for a rematch of the season opener.
Los Angeles beat Utah last night (105-104) behind the double-double of LeBron James (27, 14) and Anthony Davis (33, 11). The Lakers improved to 12-8 overall with the win, but are 2-4 in the last six games. The Lakers are 3-0 this season without rest, but are 7.5-point underdogs in Minnesota. Los Angeles won the first game of the season against Minnesota (110-103), so the Timberwolves will look to defend their home field.
Minnesota is 9-10 in 19 games and won its last outing against the Clippers (93-92) to break a four-game losing streak. The Timberwolves have rest advantage with two days off, but Minnesota has struggled with rest advantage, going 2-3 in ML and against the ATS. Anthony Edwards has led Minnesota in scoring in five straight games and seven of the last eight, so expect the Wolves to start their star early.
We have all the information and analysis you need ahead of the match, including the latest information on how to catch the opening prediction, projected lineups, recent team performances, player stats and, of course, our predictions, our picks and our best. betting for the game thanks to our modeling tools and our team of experts.
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Details and how to watch Los Angeles @ Minnesota
● Date: Monday December 2, 2024
● Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
● Site: Target center
● City: Minnesota, Minnesota
● Television/Streaming: NBA TV
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Match odds for Los Angeles @ Minnesota
The latest odds Monday morning:
● Moneyline: Los Angeles (+250), Minnesota Timberwolves (-310)
● Spread: Minnesota -7.5 (-110)
● Total: 221.5
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Likely starting lineups for Los Angeles and Minnesota
· Los Angeles Lakers (12-8)
PG Gabe Vincent – Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell were out yesterday
SG Dalton Knecht
SF Rui Hachimura
LeBron James
C Anthony Davis
· Minnesota Timberwolves (9-10)
General Manager Mike Conley
SG Anthony Edwards
SF Jaden McDaniels
PF Julius Randle
C Rudy Gobert
Top Betting Trends and Information to Know Ahead of Lakers @ Timberwolves
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Minnesota is 2-3 ATS and in the ML with a rest advantage.
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Los Angeles is 1-1 ATS and in the ML with a rest disadvantage
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The Lakers are 8-12 ATS this season and 1-3 ATS as a road underdog, ranking 2nd.
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The Timberwolves are 6-13 ATS, ranking 3rd.
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The Timberwolves are 2-8 ATS as home favorites, ranking 5th.
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Los Angeles is 11-9 under and 2-2 as a road underdog.
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Minnesota is 10-9 against the Over and 5-5 as a home favorite.
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The Lakers are 2-1 against the Under without rest and 3-0 in ML (2-1 ATS), tied for best.
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Anthony Davis had 33 points and 11 rebounds last night against Utah, his fifth straight double-double.
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LeBron James had 27 points and 14 assists last night against Utah, his third double-double in the last four games.
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Anthony Edwards has scored at least 20 points in all 19 games this year.
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Julius Randle’s 20-game point streak was snapped in seven games after his 11-point effort against the Clippers.
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Rudy Gobert hasn’t doubled in three straight games.
Notable player accessories for the Lakers @Timberwolves
Highest point accessories
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Anthony Edwards O/U 27.5 points
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Anthony Davis O/U 26.5 points
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LeBron James O/U 22.5 points
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Julius Randle O/U 20.5 points
Highest Bounce Props
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Anthony Davis O/U 12.5 rebounds
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Rudy Gobert O/U 11.5 Rebounds
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LeBron James O/U 7.5 rebounds
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Julius Randle O/U 6.5 Rebounds
Highest Support Accessories
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LeBron James O/U 10.5 assists
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Mike Conley O/U 5.5 assists
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Anthony Edwards O/U 4.5 assists
Expert Picks and Predictions for the Lakers @ Timberwolves
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NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the Lakers to go under 27.5 points in the first quarter in Minnesota:
While Los Angeles is 3-0 in ML in games without rest this year, this is probably the toughest place to continue winning, which is why Minnesota is a -7.5 favorite points.
The Lakers did not have a clear victory against the Jazz last night (105-104), but a victory is still a victory. Minnesota had two days of rest to prepare for its revenge after a season-opening defeat in Los Angeles (110-103).
In three games without rest, Los Angeles scored 21 (NOP), 32 (SAS) and 28 (SAC) points in the first quarter. When these two met earlier in Los Angeles, Minnesota led 23-22 after the first quarter. At home, Minnesota has the fourth-best defensive net rating in the first quarter.
During this five-game 1-4 streak, the Wolves are allowing 28.8 points per game in the first quarter and rank in the bottom five in a few areas. However, Minnesota showed major improvement with a 26-25 first quarter lead against the Clippers last game (held them to 44.4% from the field).
The status of Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish and D’Angelo Russell could push this line to 28.5 or 29.5, so I’ll wait for injury updates, but I like the team total of the Lakers’ first quarter under 27.5 with odds of -120.
Here are the best bets our model projects for the Lakers and Timberwolves:
· Money line: NBC Sports has little confidence to face Minnesota in ML (-300)
· Spread: NBC Sports has low confidence in Minnesota -7.5 on the spread
· Total: NBC Sports has low confidence in a game on Total MINUS 221.5 points
Want even more best NBA bets and predictions from our expert team and tools? Discover the EXPERT NBA Predictions NBC Sports page for the money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s schedule!
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· Jay Croucher (@crooucherJD)
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· Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
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