Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 12/30/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Saturday, December 30, 2023

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Odds/Point Spread: Los Angeles (+4)

Target Center is the location where the Minnesota Timberwolves (23-7) will take on the Los Angeles Lakers (17-15) on Saturday. Los Angeles opens as 4-point underdogs. The betting total is set at 224.5.

The Lakers faced off with the Hornets and walked away with a win by a score of 133-112 in their last contest. Los Angeles wrapped up the game having earned a 53.6% FG percentage (52 out of 97) and made 15 out of their 30 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Lakers knocked down 14 of 14 attempts for a rate of 100.0%. In reference to rebounding, they collected 42 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 41 dimes for the matchup as well as creating 19 turnovers and getting 11 steals. With respect to the defense, Los Angeles allowed 47.1% from the floor on 40 of 85 shooting. Charlotte distributed 29 assists and had 5 steals for this game. In addition, Charlotte grabbed 43 boards (8 offensive, 35 defensive) and earned 7 rejections. Charlotte finished shooting 60.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of 28 shots. They made 15 out of their 33 attempts from 3-point land. When talking about fouls, the Lakers ended up finishing with 21 and the Hornets accumulated 14 fouls.

Anthony Davis is one player who played a role in the matchup. Davis finished shooting 57.9% from the floor and dished out 2 dimes. He was on the court for 26 mins played and also totaled 8 rebounds. He ended up scoring 26 points on 11 of 19 shooting.

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Los Angeles comes into this game with a record of 17-15 for the year. They have an average of 114.7 points per game (17th in basketball) while going 48.7% from the floor. The Lakers are hitting 36.1% on shots from distance (353 of 979) and 76.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Los Angeles is snagging 44.0 boards per game and has totaled 882 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 4th in the league in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 14.0 times per game and as a group they are committing 17.2 fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Lakers are forcing their opponents into 13.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.0 fouls. They concede 37.4% on shots from distance and they rank 17th in basketball in PPG allowed (114.5). The Lakers defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.3% (1,368 of 2,953) and they concede 44.6 rebounds per game as a squad. They are ranked 26th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 862 relinquished so far this year.

The last time they took the court, the Timberwolves went home victorious with a score of 118-110 when they played the Mavericks. When it comes to rebounds, Minnesota permitted Dallas to get 39 overall (13 on the offensive side). They went 42.4% from 3-point land by going 14 out of 33 and ended up shooting 16 of 19 at the charity stripe (84.2%). The Timberwolves permitted the Mavericks to make 40 out of their 90 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.4% in the game. When this game wrapped up, the Timberwolves shot 38 out of 74 from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.4%. In terms of shooting from beyond the arc, Minnesota knocked down 17 of 33 tries (51.5%). They were able to make 25 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 73.5%. The Mavericks earned 27 fouls for the contest which got the Timberwolves to the free throw line for a total of 34 tries. They turned the ball over 22 times, while getting 9 steals in the game. The Timberwolves were able to pull down 32 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 in this contest.

Anthony Edwards was important for the Timberwolves in this contest. Edwards had 44 points in his 38 minutes on the court and tallied 4 assists in the matchup. He buried 12 of 23 for this game for a rate of 52.2%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Minnesota has a mark of 23-7 for the year. The Timberwolves are responsible for committing 19.3 personal fouls every game and they shoot 79.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 25.9 times per contest (16th in the league) and they are giving up possession 15.5 times per game. Minnesota has earned 3,403 points this year (113.4 per game) and they average 44.4 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Timberwolves are hitting on 48.5% from the floor, which ranks 6th in the league.

The Minnesota defense gives up 34.0% on shots from 3-point land (335 of 985) and their opponents are making 80.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 24.6 dimes and 40.7 boards per contest, which has them ranked 4th and 1st in the NBA. The Timberwolves on defense are ranked 1st in basketball in points per game surrendered with 107.4. They are forcing their opponents into 14.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 44.6% from the floor (1st in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles (+4)

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