by James Q
Friday, Mar 03, 2023NBA Basketball: Minnesota Timberwolves VS Los Angeles Lakers Pick and Predictions 03/03/2023
Game: 10:40 PM ET, Friday, March 3rd, 2023
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: NBA League Pass
Season Record
Timberwolves: 32-32, 8th place Western Conference
Lakers: 30-33, 11th place Western Conference
Opening NBA odds at USA Sportsbooks
BetMGM: Point Spread: T-Wolves -1.5, O/U 227.5
PointsBet: Point Spread: T-wolves -1, O/U 228
Fanduel: Point Spread: T-wolves -1, O/U 227.5
Starting Five:
Timberwolves: PG Mike Conley, SG Anthony Edwards, SF Jaden McDaniels, PF Kyle Anderson, C Rudy Gobert
Lakers: PG Dennis Shroder, SG Malik Beasley, SF Troy Brown JR, PF Jarred Vanderbilt, C Anthony Davis
A Western Conference yawner to end our NBA night. The last game on the slate should have been dramatic afterall it is two Western Conference teams living on the edge of the playoff picture. The Minnesota Timberwolves are in 8th place and not exactly having the season they felt they would when they traded every bit of the kitchen cupboard to get C Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz in the offseason. They though Edwards, Gobert, Towns, and Russell would combine to make an unstoppable superteam! However Towns has been injured almost all season.. Russell is gone… and the remaining Edwards and Gobert simply look like the middle placed Mitchell and Gobert teams of the Jazz… It is not their year… but they are still good. The Lakers have really not had the year imagined BECAUSE Anthony Davis can not stay on the floor… and when he can’t?... A team built on two superstars and a bunch of G-Leaguers can not win. The Lakers got bailed out at the trade deadline as the Lamers management chose to further mortgage the future… AND now LeBorn is hurt and will miss 3 weeks BEFORE BEING RE EVALUATED! Translation… He will miss the rest of the regular season and the Lakers will miss the playoffs. The great betting opportunity here is in simply betting on the Timberwolves since LeBron and Russell will be missing the game for the Lakers.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have won 4 of their last 10 games. They are 4-6 ATS during that stretch. They have suffered from a tough schedule?... not really they also lost to Charlotte and Washington. They won their last game against the Los Angeles Clippers 108-101. They got 20 points from PF Jaden McDaniels, 16 points from C Rudy Gobert and 18 points from SG Anthony Edwards… That was way back on February 28th,,, so they have had 3 solid days of rest before coming into this game in Los Angeles.
The Lakers have won 5 of their last 10 games. They have won 4 of their last 5 games. They went 5-5 ATS during that stretch. The Pelicans have the right to swap picks with the Lakers in the coming draft… so they have no reason to tank for the lottery. They won their last game against the Thunder 123-117. In that win they got 26 points from PG Dennis Shroder and 19 points from SF Troy Brown JR… Those aren’t exactly the names Lakers fans are looking for, but a win is a win. SG/SF Austin Reeves came off the bench for 19 points on 5 of 5 shooting from the field and 8 of 9 from the foul line. Austin went undrafted a couple years ago but has earned himself a place in the NBA at least for a next 4-5 year contract!
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Minnesota Timberwolves VS Los Angeles Lakers Prediction
Our prediction for Friday, March 3rd is…. Timberwolves 133 - Lakers 101
Bet on the Timberwolves. They are resting and have been watching the drama of this season… They will drop the injury riddled Lakers with extreme prejudice. Bet double your standard bet on the T-Wolves… Triple if you have the cojones. The T-Wolves win is my only lock of the season. Plus the point spread is close.
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NBA Betting Trends
The Timberwolves are 4-7 ATS as a road favorite this season.
The Lakers are 7-17 after covering 5 or 6 of their last 7 games the last 3 seasons.
Players To Watch
T-Wolves: C Rudy Gobert. It’s time for Rudy to do more than anchor the defense. That is a nice trait, but the Wolves will need actual winning from this team which means they need easy buckets from their Center… they spent every ounce of draft capital… an unreasonable amount of draft capital to get this guy… he needs to start dropping 20 points every game to go the rebounds and blocks… Every game… no exception.
Lakers: PF Jarred Vanderbilt. The success story of the Trade deadline is certainly Jarred Vanderbilt. Now he gets to go after the league to show what he can do. And what he can do is supply effort and enthusiasm and hustle. JV BIGS has been reborn.
COACH
Timberwolves: Chris “finchy” Finch
Lakers: Darvin “hammy” Ham
James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
