Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 12/21/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Target Center is the site where the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-5) will play the Los Angeles Lakers (15-12) on Thursday.

The Lakers stepped onto the hardwood against the Knicks and took a loss by a score of 114-109 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Lakers finished with 17 and the Knicks accounted for 16 personal fouls. They made 10 out of their 30 tries from beyond the arc. New York finished the game shooting 87.0% at the free throw line by making 20 of 23 shots. Additionally, New York snagged 52 boards (11 offensive, 41 defensive) and got 3 blocks. New York dished out 21 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. When it comes to defending, Los Angeles allowed the other team to go 47.7% from the floor on 42 out of 88 shooting. They also distributed 29 dimes in the matchup in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 41 with 9 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Lakers knocked down 12 of their 13 shots for a percentage of 92.3%. Los Angeles wrapped up the game having earned a 42.4% field goal percentage (42 out of 99) and converted 13 out of their 41 three-point shots.

Anthony Davis is one player who was a contributor in the game. Davis shot 63.6% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. He was on the court for 35 minutes and collected 14 boards. He accounted for 32 points on 14 out of 22 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Betting Picks

Los Angeles enters this game with a mark of 15-12 for the year. They are turning it over 14.2 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 17.3 personal fouls per game. As a team, Los Angeles is pulling down 44.4 boards per game and is sitting with 732 assists on the campaign, which is 7th in the NBA in terms of passing. The Lakers are connecting on 34.8% on shots from 3-point land (287 of 824) and 76.0% from the free throw line. They average 113.8 points per outing (17th in basketball) while hitting 48.6% from the field.

Defensively, the Lakers are forcing 13.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.7 personal fouls. They are ranked 24th in the NBA in allowing assists to their opponents with 721 surrendered for the year. The Lakers defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 45.7% (1,146 of 2,507) and they surrender 44.9 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They give up 37.0% on 3-point shots and they are 14th in basketball in opponents PPG (113.5).

In their last game, the Timberwolves walked away with a victory by a final of 112-108 against the Heat. The Timberwolves snagged 33 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 45 in this contest. They also gave up possession 13 times, while getting 10 steals in this contest. The Heat committed 18 personal fouls in this game which took the Timberwolves to the charity stripe for 19 shots. They were able to convert 17 of the free throw tries for a clip of 89.5%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Minnesota made 11 out of their 29 attempts (37.9%). When this game wrapped up, the Timberwolves ended up shooting 42 for 85 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 49.4%. The Timberwolves permitted the Heat to convert 41 of 87 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.1% in this game. They finished 36.7% from three-point range by shooting 11 of 30 and ended up going 15 of 18 at the free throw line (83.3%). When talking about rebounding, Minnesota allowed Miami to grab 40 overall (9 offensive).

Anthony Edwards pitched in for the Timberwolves in the game. Edwards scored 32 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 5 dimes in this game. He knocked down 13 of 25 in this game for a field goal rate of 52.0%, and added 8 rebounds.

Minnesota has a mark of 20-5 so far this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Timberwolves are shooting 48.3% from the floor, which ranks them 8th in basketball. Minnesota has totaled 2,841 points so far this season (113.6 per contest) and they average 45.5 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 26.0 times per game (15th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 15.0 times per contest. The Timberwolves have committed 19.3 personal fouls per game and they hit 79.3% from the free throw line.

The Timberwolves on the defensive side of the court are 1st in the league in points per game surrendered with 105.9. They are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the floor (1st in the NBA). The Minnesota defense gives up 33.2% on shots from distance (277 of 834) and their opponents are knocking down 80.0% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 24.4 assists and 41.6 boards per game, which is 4th and 3rd in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here