Through 1 Quarter
The Los Angeles Lakers are giving their home crowd exactly what it was hoping to see. They have jumped out to a quick 26-19 lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers haven’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to seven points or fewer. Minnesota has been led by center Karl-Anthony Towns, who so far has eight points along with three boards.
This is tied with the least points Minnesota has had yet this season going into the second quarter.
Who’s Playing
Minnesota @ Los Angeles
Current Records: Minnesota 3-7; Los Angeles 7-5
What to Know
The Los Angeles Lakers will play host again and welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Staples Center, where tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday. If the contest is anything like the Lakers’ 137-121 victory from their previous meeting in March, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Los Angeles ultimately got the result they were hoping for on Wednesday with a 120-117 win over the Miami Heat. Los Angeles can attribute much of their success to shooting guard Malik Monk, who had 27 points in addition to six rebounds, and point guard Russell Westbrook, who posted a triple-double on 25 points, 14 assists, and 12 boards. Westbrook now has three triple-doubles this year.
Meanwhile, Minnesota received a tough blow on Wednesday as they fell 123-110 to the Golden State Warriors. Shooting guard Anthony Edwards did his best for Minnesota, finishing with 48 points (a whopping 44% of their total) and five dimes along with five rebounds.
Barring any buzzer beaters, Los Angeles is expected to win a tight contest. They hadn’t treated bettors all too well in the past (they are 4-8), but they might be worth taking a chance on now after beating the spread two games in a row.
The Lakers are now 7-5 while the Timberwolves sit at 3-7. A pair of numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Los Angeles is stumbling into the game with the second most fouls per game in the league, having accrued 21.3 on average. Minnesotas have had an even harder time: they are worst in the league in fouls per game, with 23.3 on average. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
How To Watch
- When: Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Staples Center — Los Angeles, California
- TV: Bally Sports – North
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $47.00
Odds
The Lakers are a slight 2-point favorite against the Timberwolves, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lakers as a 3-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Minnesota have won 11 out of their last 19 games against Los Angeles.
- Mar 16, 2021 – Los Angeles 137 vs. Minnesota 121
- Feb 16, 2021 – Los Angeles 112 vs. Minnesota 104
- Dec 27, 2020 – Los Angeles 127 vs. Minnesota 91
- Dec 08, 2019 – Los Angeles 142 vs. Minnesota 125
- Jan 24, 2019 – Minnesota 120 vs. Los Angeles 105
- Jan 06, 2019 – Minnesota 108 vs. Los Angeles 86
- Nov 07, 2018 – Los Angeles 114 vs. Minnesota 110
- Oct 29, 2018 – Minnesota 124 vs. Los Angeles 120
- Apr 06, 2018 – Minnesota 113 vs. Los Angeles 96
- Feb 15, 2018 – Minnesota 119 vs. Los Angeles 111
- Jan 01, 2018 – Minnesota 114 vs. Los Angeles 96
- Dec 25, 2017 – Minnesota 121 vs. Los Angeles 104
- Apr 09, 2017 – Los Angeles 110 vs. Minnesota 109
- Mar 30, 2017 – Minnesota 119 vs. Los Angeles 104
- Mar 24, 2017 – Los Angeles 130 vs. Minnesota 119
- Nov 13, 2016 – Minnesota 125 vs. Los Angeles 99
- Feb 02, 2016 – Los Angeles 119 vs. Minnesota 115
- Dec 09, 2015 – Minnesota 123 vs. Los Angeles 122
- Oct 28, 2015 – Minnesota 112 vs. Los Angeles 111
Injury Report for Los Angeles
- LeBron James: Out (Abdomen)
- Kendrick Nunn: Out (Knee)
- Talen Horton-Tucker: Out (Thumb)
- Austin Reaves: Out (Hamstring)
- Trevor Ariza: Out (Ankle)
Injury Report for Minnesota
No Injury Information
