The Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Los Angeles Lakers in an early-season key NBA Western Conference matchup on Friday night. Minnesota is coming off a 118-114 win at Portland on Wednesday, while Los Angeles dropped a 119-109 decision to Golden State on Tuesday. The Timberwolves (1-0), who finished sixth in the conference a year ago at 49-33, are 25-17 on the road since the start of last season. The Lakers (0-1), who were the third seed in the West at 50-32 in 2024-25, are 31-11 at home since last October. Guard Luka Doncic (groin) is not on the injury report.
Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10 p.m. ET. Minnesota is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Lakers vs. Timberwolves odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 225.5. Before making any Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks, check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past seven seasons. The model enters the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 160-118 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning nearly $4,000. It also went 24-11 (69%) on top-rated NBA against-the-spread picks last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has simulated Timberwolves vs. Lakers 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Lakers vs. Timberwolves:
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Timberwolves vs. Lakers spread: |
Minnesota -2.5 at DraftKings |
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Timberwolves vs. Lakers over/under: |
225.5 points |
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Timberwolves vs. Lakers money line: |
Minnesota -138, Los Angeles +117 |
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Timberwolves vs. Lakers picks: |
See picks at SportsLine |
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Timberwolves vs. Lakers streaming: |
Fubo (Try for free) |
Why the Timberwolves can cover
Guard Anthony Edwards started the season off red hot, pouring in 41 points, while grabbing seven rebounds in the win over the Trail Blazers. He led the team in scoring a year ago, averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 36.3 minutes. The sixth year veteran has continued to improve each year he has been in the league. For his career, he has started 364 of 382 games, averaging 23.9 points in 34.8 minutes.
Another key to Minnesota’s success is the play of forward Julius Randle. He had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block in 37 minutes against Portland. The 12th-year veteran was a key player for the Wolves a year ago, playing in 69 games, averaging 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 32.3 minutes. For his career, Randle is averaging 19 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 32 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why the Lakers can cover
Doncic had a monster game against Golden State to open the season. In 41 minutes of action, he poured in 43 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out nine assists and making two steals. In 50 games last year, including 28 with the Lakers after being acquired from Dallas, he averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.4 minutes. For his career, he has started all 451 games he has played in, averaging 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 34.9 minutes.
Guard Austin Reaves had a hot start to the season, scoring 26 points, while adding nine assists, five rebounds and two steals in the loss to Golden State. In the Western Conference quarterfinal loss to the Timberwolves this past April, he averaged 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 39.4 minutes. Reaves is just the second Laker to have 200 3-pointers in a season, connecting on 200 of 531 3-pointers in 2024-25 (37.7%). The fifth-year veteran averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 73 games last year. See which team to back at SportsLine.
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How to make Lakers vs. Timberwolves picks
SportsLine’s model has simulated Timberwolves vs. Lakers 10,000 times and is leaning Under the total, projecting 220 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread is the better value. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.
So who wins Lakers vs. Timberwolves, and which side of the spread is the better value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Timberwolves vs. Lakers spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.