Timberwolves vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Feb. 27

Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are rolling right now, as they’ve knocked off the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks in back-to-back games and sit just two games out of the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

On Thursday, the Lakers play host to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have made a push for a top-six seed in the East and made an insane comeback on Monday night, erasing a 22-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime.

Los Angeles is favored in this matchup, which could end up as a first-round series in the playoffs. The Lakers’ last 20 games have been special, as the team is 15-5 straight up and it ranks No. 1 in the league in defensive rating.

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this Western Conference showdown.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Timberwolves +6 (-112)
Lakers -6 (-108)

Moneyline

Timberwolves: +190
Lakers: -230

Total

226 (Over -108/Under -112)

Timberwolves vs. Lakers How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Feb. 27
Time: 10:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
How to Watch (TV): NBA TV
Timberwolves record: 32-27
Lakers record: 35-21

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Injury Reports

Timberwolves Injury Report

Donte DiVincenzo – questionable
Anthony Edwards – questionable
Julius Randle – out
Rudy Gobert – out

Lakers Injury Report

Bronny James – out
LeBron James – probable
Maxi Kleber – out

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Best NBA Prop Bets

Minnesota Timberwolves Best NBA Prop Bet

Naz Reid OVER 30.5 Points and Rebounds (-120)

I’ve bet on Naz Reid multiple times this week, and I don’t plan on stopping now against a Los Angeles team that has been going small a ton lately.

The Wolves remain without Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert, which opens up major minutes for Reid in the Minnesota frontcourt. Over his last 10 games (all starts), the reigning Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 21.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

He’s cleared this prop in seven of his last 10 games as a result, and he should have another major usage night on Thursday.

Los Angeles Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet

Luka Doncic OVER 8.5 Rebounds (-135)

With Randle and Gobert out for Minnesota, the Wolves aren’t nearly as tough to deal with on the glass, which should set up well for Luka Doncic on Thursday night.

The newly-acquired Lakers star is averaging 12.0 rebounds per game over his last three games (since his minutes limit was lifted), picking up at least 10 boards in every game. With the Lakers opting to play small at times since moving on from Anthony Davis, Doncic and LeBron James are going to be asked to do some heavy lifting on the glass. I love the All-NBA guard in this prop market on Thursday night.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick

So far this season, these teams have matched up three times with the Wolves taking each of the last two matchups.

However, one trend has been consistent between these two squads: low-scoring affairs.

The Lakers and Timberwolves have combined for 184, 189 and 213 points in their three matchups, falling well short of the total for tonight’s contest (226) in all of those matchups.

Overall this season, Minnesota ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in defensive rating, and while it lacks rim protection with Rudy Gobert out, the Wolves still have a litany of elite perimeter defenders in Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylen Clark, Anthony Edwards and others.

Plus, the Lakers have the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA over their last 15 games, and on top of that Los Angeles has fallen short of this total in four straight games.

With Luka Doncic in the fold, the Lakers are likely to slow games down a little more on offense, as Luka, LeBron James and Austin Reaves are all great shot creators in the half court.

With this total inching towards 230, I think the UNDER is the play between two staunch Western Conference defenses.

Pick: UNDER 226 (-112 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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