The Minnesota Timberwolves (16-54) take on the visiting Los Angeles Lakers (18-50) at the Target Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 25 and will air on TWC SN and FSN-N.
The Timberwolves won a close one over the Jazz 106-104 on Monday. Andrew Wiggins played well, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds, and two steals for the Timberwolves. The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off a 101-87 win over the 76ers on Sunday. Jeremy Lin led the game in scoring with 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
The aggressive Timberwolves offense seems focused on getting to the foul line. They rank fourth in the NBA at getting to the stripe (free throw attempt rate of 30.1), while Los Angeles is among the league’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 27th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 30.8).
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Lakers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 100-94 win. Carlos Boozer played a big role with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Timberwolves enter the game with records of 16-54 Straight Up (SU) and 30-38-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 7-35 SU and 19-21-2 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Minnesota has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 19 made free throws per game, which is fourth-best in the NBA.
On the other side, Los Angeles has a SU record of 18-50 and an ATS record of 34-32-2. Somehow Los Angeles managed to go 8-2 ATS over the last 10 games, while having an unimpressive record of 2-8 SU during the same amount of time. The last 10 games have really brought the best of the Lakers on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 95.3 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 104.5.
Following the Lakers’ latest win over Minnesota, their SU record rises to 6-4 over the Timberwolves in the last 10 games. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Minnesota and Los Angeles each held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAL, ATS Winner – LAL
Notes
Los Angeles ranks 18th in points per game with 98.7, while Minnesota ranks 30th in points allowed with an average of 105.8 given up.
Los Angeles scores an average of 97.8 points per away game (ranked 17th). Minnesota ranks 30th in points allowed per home game with 103.4.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, Los Angeles has an 11-13 record. When Minnesota puts up fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 6-34.
Both Los Angeles and Minnesota have losing records when they allow and score at least 100 points, respectively. The Lakers are 7-37 in the former situation, and the Timberwolves are 10-20 in the latter.
The Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 108.0 (ranked 30th), while the Lakers rank 23rd for their offensive rating of 100.6.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average a field goal percentage of 43.7% this season. The Los Angeles Lakers have an abysmal record of 7-37 when opponents have a FG% of 43.7% or greater.
On average, the Minnesota Timberwolves make 21.8 assists per game and the Los Angeles Lakers make 20.9. Minnesota is ranked 13th, while Los Angeles is ranked 20th.
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 3.9 blocks per game for a rank of 27th. The Los Angeles Lakers rank higher (21st), earning 4.5 blocks each contest.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fourth). The Los Angeles Lakers are in the top half of NBA teams in defensive rebounding (ranked 12th).
The Minnesota Timberwolves average 8.3 steals per game (ranked ninth). The Los Angeles Lakers have a poor record of 8-23 when they allow at least 8 steals.
