The Minnesota Timberwolves (4-7) will try to snap their six-game road losing streak in a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers (4-6) at Staples Center. The game will air on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 7, 2018.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers ATS Prediction
The Timberwolves were not able to cover as 5.5-point underdogs in their 120-109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their last game. The game’s total points (229) finished under the projected point total of 233. Los Angeles won the rebounding battle. The Clippers had 13 offensive rebounds and 43 total rebounds, while the Timberwolves had eight and 38, respectively. Karl-Anthony Towns played well for Minnesota, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
In the Lakers’ last game, they were beaten by the Toronto Raptors, 121-107, despite being 2-point favorites. The game’s total points (228) came in under the O/U total of 234. Toronto out-rebounded Los Angeles. The Raptors had more offensive rebounds (13 vs. six), defensive rebounds (36 vs. 32) and total rebounds (49 vs. 38). With 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting, Kyle Kuzma was Los Angeles’ high scorer.
The elite offense of Los Angeles will face off against the bottom-tier defense of Minnesota. The Lakers currently rank fifth in effective field goal percentage (0.546), while the Timberwolves are 22nd in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.541). The Lakers figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
Minnesota comes into the contest with records of 4-7 straight up (SU) and 4-7 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Timberwolves games, with 6 unders compared to 5 overs.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles is 4-6 SU and 3-7 ATS. Vegas tends to place the total low when the Lakers are involved, as six of their 11 games have finished over the O/U total.
Towns has averaged 21.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals over the last five games for Minnesota.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Towns recorded 25 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in the first matchup, in which the Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 124-120, covering as 1.5-point underdogs. The game finished with a total of 244 points, which was just 5 points above the projected point total of 239 points. The Timberwolves made 26 of their 30 free throws (86.7 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (11.2 vs. 14.0).
Timberwolves vs. Lakers Betting Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Timberwolves, ATS Winner – Timberwolves, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Minnesota is 1-5 ATS on the road with 4 unders and 2 overs.
At home, Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
When holding opponents under 100 points, Minnesota is 1-0.
When scoring more than 100 points, the Lakers are 4-6 and the Timberwolves are 4-4.
Los Angeles averages 61.6 points in the paint per game, which ranks first in the NBA. Minnesota ranks 22nd in points allowed in the paint per game (51.6).
The Lakers rank seventh in points off turnovers per game (19.8) while the Timberwolves rank 25th (14.6).
Los Angeles ranks sixth in assists per game (25.6) while Minnesota ranks 24th in assists allowed per game (25.3).
The Timberwolves rank third in steals allowed per game (6.1) while the Lakers rank 18th (7.8).
Los Angeles ranks first in fast break points per game (23.4) while Minnesota ranks 16th in fast break points allowed per game (14.0).
The Lakers rank 13th in second chance points per game (13.9) while the Timberwolves rank 27th in second chance points allowed per game (17.6).
Minnesota ranks fifth in blocks per game (6.5) while Los Angeles ranks 16th in blocks allowed per game (5.7).
The Lakers rank 18th in rebounds per game (44.4) while the Timberwolves rank 26th in rebounds allowed per game (50.4).
Los Angeles averages 28.6 three pointers per game, which ranks 21st in the NBA. Minnesota ranks 22nd in three pointers allowed per game (32.5).
Bettings Trends:
In its last five outings, Minnesota is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over its last five games.
The Timberwolves’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 10.2, up from 7.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Lakers have scored an average of 112.2 points per game (6.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 115.6 points per game (4.4 below their season average).
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