We’re closing things down with a superstar-studded showdown at 11 p.m. EST tonight. The NBA’s 11-game schedule concludes as Luka Doncic’s Los Angeles Lakers host Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves for the third matchup of the campaign between these teams. As Western Conference foes face off, could be be getting a potential playoff preview in the late slate?
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Minnesota as a 2.5-point favorite on the road with -135 odds to win on the Moneyline. The game total is set at 230.5 combined points.
Here are the top Timberwolves vs. Lakers prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for this matchup.
Best Timberwolves vs. Lakers player prop bets
Julius Randle under 18.5 points (+106)
I’m typically a pretty big fan of Julius Randle and have defended him from slander over the years more than I’d like to admit. Well, he’s in the midst of a quality campaign for the Timberwolves and looks much more comfortable this season than he did in his debut with the team last year, producing 21.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. His 48.2% FG% is one of his more efficient marks across his 12-year NBA career as well, with a 55.5% 2P% tied for the third-best of his career as well. However, things haven’t looked as smooth lately for the star.
Minnesota has played eight games since the All-Star break and is 6-2 across those contests, but Randle hasn’t looked like himself over this stretch. He’s posting only 14.5 PPG, shooting a miserable 39.6% overall and 16.0% from beyond the arc with 3.4 fewer FGA on average than his season-long number. As for that efficient 2P% mentioned earlier? It’s dropped to 47.9% over this eight-game sample.
The Lakers present a middle-of-the-pack matchup for the most part and aren’t particularly strong in the frontcourt. Usually, they’d be a team to target. Tonight, I’m not so sure for Randle. Going under 18.5 points in seven of his last eight games doesn’t spark much confidence, so unfortunately he gets the fade treatment for the time being until proven otherwise.
Jaxson Hayes over 3.5 rebounds (-122)
We’re going wayyy down the list of names in the rebounds market tonight for this next prop bet. Jaxson Hayes doesn’t start for the Lakers and gets just 17.7 minutes per game this season, but he’s seen a little bit of additional work on occasion lately with Deandre Ayton’s minutes somewhat in flux. Hayes’ production is modest with just 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game, but that’s exactly what we need to cash this over here.
Hayes’ rebounding line sits at 3.5 boards against Minnesota, which is one of the league’s better teams on the glass with a frontcourt that includes Randle, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. Why would we take the over on a bench player for Los Angeles against that unit? Well, Hayes has recorded at least four rebounds in seven straight contests dating back to February 26, even despite playing a low of 13 minutes in this sample. He’s an athletic big man who may get additional run tonight against a bigger lineup. Really, the logic is as simple as that.
If you look a little bit deeper, Hayes has gone over tonight’s line in 32/54 contests this season. That’s good for a hit rate of 59.26%, so given how his number may be called tonight, I feel okay taking the over once more here.
