The Lakers and Timberwolves square off in the small four-game slate for a rematch of the season-opener.
Los Angeles beat Utah last night (105-104) behind LeBron James (27, 14) and Anthony Davis’ (33, 11) double-doubles. The Lakers moved to 12-8 overall with the win but are 2-4 in the last six games. The Lakers are 3-0 this season with no rest but are 7.5-point underdogs at Minnesota. Los Angeles won the season-opener versus Minnesota (110-103), so the Timberwolves will look to defend their home court.
Minnesota is 9-10 through 19 games and won its last outing versus the Clippers (93-92) to break a four-game losing streak. The Timberwolves have the rest advantage with two days off but Minnesota has struggled with a rest advantage, going 2-3 on the ML and ATS. Anthony Edwards has led Minnesota in scoring five straight games and seven of the past eight, so look for the Wolves to get their star going early.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch the opening tip, projected lineups, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Details & how to watch Los Angeles @ Minnesota
● Date: Monday, December 2, 2024
● Time: 8:00 PM ET
● Site: Target Center
● City: Minnesota, MN
● TV/Streaming: NBA TV
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Game odds for Los Angeles @ Minnesota
The latest odds as of Monday morning:
● Moneyline: Los Angeles (+250), Minnesota Timberwolves (-310)
● Spread: Minnesota -7.5 (-110)
● Total: 221.5
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Probable 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
PF LeBron James
C Anthony Davis
· Minnesota Timberwolves (9-10)
PG Mike Conley
SG Anthony Edwards
SF Jaden McDaniels
PF Julius Randle
C Rudy Gobert
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Lakers @ Timberwolves
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Minnesota is 2-3 ATS and on the ML with a rest advantage.
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Los Angeles is 1-1 ATS and on 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-worst.
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The Timberwolves are 6-13 ATS, ranking 3rd-worst.
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The Timberwolves are 2-8 ATS as a home favorite, ranking 5th-worst.
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Los Angeles is 11-9 to the Under and 2-2 as a road underdog.
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Minnesota is 10-9 to the Over and 5-5 as a home favorite.
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The Lakers are 2-1 to the Under on no rest and 3-0 on the ML (2-1 ATS), ranking tied for the best.
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Anthony Davis had 33 points and 11 rebounds last night versus Utah, his fifth straight double-double.
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LeBron James had 27 points and 14 assists last night versus Utah, his third double-double in the last four games.
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Anthony Edwards scored at least 20 points in all 19 games this year.
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Julius Randle’s 20-point streak was broken at seven games after his 11-point effort versus the Clippers.
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Rudy Gobert has not double-doubled in three straight games.
Notable Player Props for Lakers @ Timberwolves
Highest Point Props
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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 Rebound 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 Assist Props
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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 & predictions for 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 at Minnesota:
While Los Angeles is 3-0 on the ML in games with no rest this year, that is probably the toughest spot to continue winning, which speaks to why Minnesota is a -7.5 point favorite.
The Lakers didn’t earn a clean win over the Jazz last night (105-104), but a win is a win. Minnesota has had two days off to prepare for revenge from a season-opening loss in Los Angeles (110-103).
In three games with no rest, Los Angeles scored 21 (NOP), 32 (SAS), and 28 (SAC) first-quarter points. When these two met earlier in L.A., Minnesota led 23-22 after the first quarter. At home, Minnesota has the fourth-best first-quarter defensive net rating.
During this 1-4 five-game streak, the Wolves allow 28.8 first-quarter points per game and rank bottom five in a few areas. However, Minnesota showed major improvement with a 26-25 first-quarter lead against the Clippers in the past game(held them to 44.4% from the field).
The status of Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, and D’Angelo Russell could shift this line to 28.5 or 29.5, so I would wait for injury updates, but I like the Lakers First Quarter Team Total Under 27.5 at -120 odds.”
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for the Lakers and the Timberwolves:
· Moneyline: NBC Sports has low confidence in taking Minnesota on the ML (-300)
· Spread: NBC Sports has low confidence in Minnesota -7.5 on the spread
· Total: NBC Sports has low confidence towards a play on the Total UNDER 221.5 points
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the EXPERT NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
· Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
· Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
· Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
· Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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