Update: James has been ruled out due to an illness, so the Lakers will be without the star forward tonight. The Timberwolves are now 1.5-point favorites and we’re changing the ATS pick to Minnesota with this news. The total is 217 and even though James is out, we’ll stick with the over there.
Update: Davis is listed as probable while James is questionable. Given the stakes, it feels like both players will suit up for this game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves (53-24) will face the Los Angeles Lakers (45-33) on Sunday. Tipoff from the crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10 p.m. ET, and the game will air on NBATV. This will be the fourth and final meeting between these teams. So far, Minnesota won the first two and lost the third.
Minnesota will be without star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who is still rehabbing his knee injury. He could still be back before the end of the regular season, but not for this matchup. Guard Jayden Clark will also miss the game due to an Achilles injury.
Los Angeles heads into game day with a brief injury report. Power forward Jared Vanderbilt will miss the game and will be re-evaluated next week regarding his foot injury. We’ll see if Anthony Davis and LeBron James play both games of the back-to-back set.
The Lakers are 2-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook. Los Angeles has -130 moneyline odds, while Minnesota is installed as the +110 underdog. The point total is set at 220.
Timberwolves vs. Lakers, 10 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Lakers -2
Both Minnesota and Los Angeles come in the middle of the road in their success against the spread. The Timberwolves have covered in 52% of their games, with the Lakers covering in 48.1%. Minnesota is coming off a loss, while Los Angeles has won four in a row and nine of its last 10. The T-Wolves have covered the spread in 53.9% of games as the road team, with the Lakers covering in 48.7% of its home games. It feels like this one could go either way, but think Los Angeles uses its momentum to cover.
Over/Under: Over 220
Los Angeles’ games have hit the over 55.1% of the time this season. Minnesota has had 51.3% of its games hit the under. The Phoenix Suns held the Timberwolves to just 87 points in its last game, and another performance like that could sink the point total. Minnesota has scored 114 points or fewer in nine of its last 10 games. In their four-game win streak, the Lakers have scored at least 116 points and have hit that mark in seven of their last eight. This is a low point total with how well Los Angeles has been playing and Minnesota does enough to help the over hit.