Lakers vs Timberwolves Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Friday, March 31st

Check out our free Lakers vs Timberwolves pick and preview for this NBA game in Minneapolis. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Lakers vs Timberwolves NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves
Where: Minneapolis at Target Center
Date: Friday, March 31st
Betting Odds LAL -1.0, LAL -107 | MIN -113 O/U 232.5

The Lakers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 38-38. So far, the team has gone 37-36-3 against the spread. In the teams past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 2-1. Los Angeles is 2-1 vs the spread in these matchups.

The Lakers will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Bulls by a score of 121-110. Heading into the game, they were 4 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. Los Angeles entered the second half with a 8a point lead, and were able to slightly extend that margin and prevent a second half comeback by the Bulls. In the win, Anthony Davis led the team in scoring with 38 points on a field goal percentage of 65.0%.

The Timberwolves come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 39-38. So far, the team has gone 37-40-0 against the spread. Looking back on Timberwolves’ previous 3 games, they have a record of 2-1 while averaging 106 points per game. Over this stretch, their ATS mark is 2-1.

Not only did the Timberwolves drop their last game to the Suns. But they also picked up an ATS loss, as they fell by a score of 107-100 as 6 point underdogs. Minnesota went on to lose the game despite leading by 3 heading into halftime. In the loss, Anthony Edwards led the team in scoring with 31 points on a field goal percentage of 59.1%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Timberwolves picked up the 111-102 win over the Lakers. The Timberwolves point margin of victory was enough to cover the spread as 8.0 point favorite. So far this season, the Timberwolves have a record of 2-0 vs the Lakers. Last year, the Lakers saw a drop in overall scoring when playing the Timberwolves, averaging 96.75 points per game. While the Lakers struggled on offense in the series, the Timberwolves maintained their usual level of scoring at 111.0 vs Los Angeles. Over the last 5 head to head meetings, the Timberwolves have averaged 111 points per game compared to 101 for Los Angeles. This has led to an ATS record of 5-0 for Minnesota. Over the course of these games, they averaged 212 points per game, leading a 0-5 over-under record.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Coming into today’s action, Los Angeles is averaging 116.4 points per contest. This figure places them 10th in the league. Coming into today’s game, the Lakers will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.6 made 3’s per game. If the Los Angeles offense is going to turn things around, not only do they need to improve their outside shooting but they must do a better job protecting the ball. Currently, they are averaging 13.6 turnovers per game.

Currently, the Lakers defense is ranked 28th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 115.15 points per game vs the unit.

One situation to keep an eye on leading up the game is the availability of LeBron James, as he is currently questionable on the injury report. If he is able to play, the team will have it’s 1-2 punch availble as James leads the team in scoring at 29.2 points per game while Davis is 2nd at 26.1. For the season, James is 7th in the NBA in usage rate and 16th in player efficiency. Behind him, Davis has taken 19.4% of the team’s field goal attempts, connecting at a rate of 56.7%.

Coming into today’s action, Minnesota is averaging 115.7 points per contest. This figure places them 12th in the league. Coming into today’s game, the Timberwolves will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 12.1 made 3’s per game. Minnesota appears to be a candidate to have some offensive regression as not only are the a below average outside shooting unit, but they are generating free-throws at a rate below the NBA average.

Against the Lakers, the Timberwolves will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 24th in points allowed.

This season, the Timberwolves offense has primarily worked through Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 74 games, Edwards is 24th in the NBA at 24.5 points per game. So far, him and McDaniels have accounted for 32% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 36.6 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jaden McDaniels is grabbing 3.9 rebounds for Minnesota to go along with 1.9 assists.