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The second game of tonight’s NBA on ESPN doubleheader brings us to the Twin Cities where the Minnesota Timberwolves will play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.
Los Angeles (16-13) has rattled off three-straight victories over the last week and came up clutch with a 107-104 overtime win at the Mavericks on Wednesday. Rookie guard Austin Reaves off all people ended up being the hero, burying a three with 0.9 second remaining to lift the Lakers to the win. He had 15 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday while LeBron James led with 24 points and five rebounds.
Minnesota (13-15) has also been playing some good basketball in the last week and came away with a big 124-107 victory at the Nuggets on Wednesday. They were bolstered by the tandem of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, who combined for 70 points in Denver.
The elephant in the room around the league has been the rising number of players entering health and safety protocols and that has affected this game as well. The Lakers will be missing Avery Bradley, Talen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard, and Russell Westbrook. Malik Monk reportedly tested out of protocols but was still listed as out at the time of this writing.
Minnesota enters the contest as a 2.5-point favorite per DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 222.
Lakers vs. Timberwolves, 10:00 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Timberwolves -2.5
We’re going with the Timberwolves just on principle here. The Lakers have been hit hard with this league-wide COVID outbreak and there’s too many moving parts from a roster standpoint while they’re on the road. Barring any late outbreaks of their own today, Minnesota should cover here.
Over/Under: Under 222
The Lakers have not played in a game that’s crossed the 222-point threshold in two weeks and with outbreaks within the team, it’ll most likely stay that way. Hammer the under.
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