Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 3/31/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Friday, March 31, 2023

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Target Center is the site where the Minnesota Timberwolves will meet the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

The Lakers took the court against the Bulls and took home the win by a score of 121-110 in their last game. Los Angeles finished the game having earned a 52.3% field goal percentage (45 out of 86) and made 7 out of their 20 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Lakers knocked down 24 of their 30 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. In the matter of rebounding, they collected 45 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 22 dimes for the game as well as forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and getting 10 steals. With respect to defense, Los Angeles allowed the other team to shoot 51.1% from the floor on 45 out of 88 shooting. Chicago earned 31 assists and had 10 steals for this game. On top of that, Chicago snagged 32 boards (6 offensive, 26 defensive) and added 3 blocks. Chicago finished shooting 84.6% at the free throw line by burying 11 of their 13 attempts. They also converted 9 of 33 tries from three-point range. In regard to personal fouls, the Lakers walked away with 14 while the Bulls accumulated 22 personal fouls.

Anthony Davis is one guy who was a factor in this game. He left the arena with 38 points on 13 out of 20 shooting. He played for 39 mins played and snagged 10 boards. Davis ended up shooting 65.0% from the floor and totaled 4 assists.

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Los Angeles heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 38-38 on the campaign. They are averaging 116.4 points per outing (10th in basketball) on 48.0% from the field. The Lakers are shooting 34.2% on 3-pointers (807 of 2,362) and 77.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Los Angeles is pulling in 45.4 boards per game and is sitting with 1,901 dimes so far this season, which is 18th in the league in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 14.2 times per contest and as a unit they commit 18.2 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Lakers are forcing their opponents into 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 21.7 fouls. They are ranked 15th in basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,950 conceded on the year. The Lakers defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.9% (3,338 of 7,124) and they concede 45.1 boards per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 34.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 21st in the NBA in PPG allowed (116.6).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Timberwolves went home defeated by a final of 107-100 when they faced the Suns. When talking about how they rebounded, Minnesota permitted Phoenix to snag 48 overall (15 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 30.0% from three-point range by going 6 of 20 and finished the contest at 21 of 27 from the free throw line (77.8%). The Timberwolves allowed the Suns to make 40 out of 96 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 41.7% for the contest. When the game finished, the Timberwolves finished the game shooting 40 out of 90 from the floor which had them shooting 44.4%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Minnesota converted 12 out of 35 tries (34.3%). They were able to knock down 8 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. The Suns were called for 16 fouls for this contest which took the Timberwolves to the charity stripe for 12 attempts. They coughed it up 21 times, while recording 4 steals in the game. The Timberwolves were able to snag 38 defensive boards and 16 offensive rebounds totaling 54 in the matchup.

Anthony Edwards ended up being a major contributor for the Timberwolves for the matchup. Edwards earned 31 points in his 40 minutes on the court and accounted for 6 dimes for the contest. He made 13 of 22 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 59.1%, but went home without a rebound.

Minnesota has a record of 39-38 on the campaign. The Timberwolves have committed 21.8 personal fouls per game and they connect on 75.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 26.0 times per game (9th in the NBA) and they are giving up possession 15.4 times per game. Minnesota has earned 8,907 pts on the year (115.7 per contest) and they grab 41.8 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Timberwolves are hitting on 49.1% from the floor, which ranks them 4th in the league.

The Minnesota defense gives up 37.1% on shots from beyond the arc (960 of 2,591) and their opponents are knocking down 76.6% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 24.9 assists and 44.6 boards per contest, which is 13th and 23rd in basketball. The Timberwolves on the defensive end are ranked 18th in the league in points allowed per game with 115.9. They are able to force 15.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.1% from the field (12th in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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