A NBA Playoff Play-In game is set for Tuesday night when the Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40, 20-21 away) visit the Los Angeles Lakers (43-39, 23-18 home). Both teams earned their way to this spot, but the Timberwolves appear to be in a bad place, despite the winning, and Los Angeles is playing well. Below is my NBA pick for the Timberwolves vs Lakers.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers Betting Pick
The Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -7.5 at Bovada
This game will be played at crypto.com Arena at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.
Why Bet the Los Angeles Lakers:
✅ The Lakers may have lost the most important game of their season, but they still enter this play-in tournament having won six of their last seven games overall.
✅ At home, Los Angeles has won five of their last six games at crypto.com Arena.
✅ Minnesota is in complete disarray and will be without Rudy Gobert (suspension) and Jaden McDaniels (injury) after a terrible final regular season game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in Turmoil
The Minnesota Timberwolves enter this game on a three-game winning streak, but they played one of the most confusing games of the season on Sunday. Playing the New Orleans Pelicans for playoff positioning, Rudy Gobert punched teammate Kyle Anderson and their best defender, Jaden McDaniels punched a wall in frustration and fractured his hand. It will be interesting to see the team dynamic Tuesday night.
Minnesota has been led by Anthony Edwards 24.6 points and Rudy Gobert’s 11.6 rebounds per game. Kyle Anderson has dished out a team high 4.9 assists per game this season.
Los Angeles Lakers Looking to Advance
Los Angeles was fighting to get into the playoffs as a top six seed, but they lost their most important game of the season and now need to win one more game to get into the playoffs proper. The Lakers have won four of their last five games played and took care of business over the weekend to get the seventh seed.
Injuries skew the leaders for the Lakers as Austin reeves leads the team with 13.0 points and Wenyen Gabriel grabs a team high 4.2 rebounds per game. Dennis Schroder has dished out a team leading 4.5 assists per game this season.
