Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 4/22/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+5)

The Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) are traveling to Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday where they will attempt to beat the Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round after going up 1-0 in the series. Minnesota opens as 5-point dogs. The betting total comes in at 213.

The Timberwolves faced off with the Lakers and earned the victory with a final of 117-95 in the first game of their Western Conference playoff series. Minnesota finished the game with a 51.2% FG percentage (44 of 86) and converted 21 out of their 42 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Timberwolves made 8 of their 10 shots for a percentage of 80.0%. In relation to pulling down boards, they collected 44 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 29 assists in the game while forcing 13 turnovers and getting 8 steals. Concerning defense, Minnesota allowed the other team to go 39.8% from the field on 33 out of 83 shooting. Los Angeles earned 15 assists and had 5 steals in the game. Furthermore, Los Angeles had 38 rebounds (13 offensive, 25 defensive) and added 4 blocks. Los Angeles ended up shooting 87.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 14 of 16 shots. They also converted 15 out of their 41 tries from long range. When discussing personal fouls, the Timberwolves walked away with 21 and the Lakers totaled 10 personal fouls.

Jaden McDaniels is one player who was a factor in the matchup. McDaniels shot 84.6% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. He played 33 minutes and also collected 9 boards. He ended up walking away with 25 points on 11 out of 13 shooting.

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Minnesota heads into this game with a record of 49-33 this year. They lose possession via turnover 14.5 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 18.3 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Minnesota is collecting 44.3 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 2,142 assists for the season, which has them ranked 17th in basketball in terms of passing. The Timberwolves are shooting 37.7% on 3-pointers (1,233 of 3,269) and 78.9% from the free throw line. They are averaging 114.3 pts per game (13th in basketball) while hitting 46.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Timberwolves have forced 14.7 turnovers every game and they draw 19.2 personal fouls. They are 5th in the NBA in giving up assists with 2,032 surrendered this season. The Timberwolves are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.0% (3,319 of 7,213) and they concede 42.9 boards per game as a group. They give up 35.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 5th in the league in PPG allowed (109.3).

When talking about team rebounding in Game 1, Los Angeles permitted Minnesota to pull down 44 in total (11 offensive). They finished 50.0% from 3-point land by shooting 21 out of 42 and ended up shooting 8 of 10 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Lakers allowed the Timberwolves to make 44 of 86 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 51.2% in the game. Overall, the Lakers finished the game shooting 33 for 83 from the floor which had them at 39.8%. With regard to three-point shots, Los Angeles made 15 of their 41 tries (36.6%). They were able to make 14 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 87.5%. The Timberwolves had 21 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while getting 5 steals in the matchup. The Lakers were able to pull down 25 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards for a total of 38 in this contest.

Luka Doncic ended up being a major contributor for the Lakers in this game. Doncic racked up 37 points in his 40 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist in the matchup. He made 12 of 22 for the contest for a field goal rate of 54.5%, and earned 8 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a mark of 50-32 for the year. The Lakers have committed 17.3 personal fouls per game and they hit 78.5% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 26.0 times per game (18th in the NBA) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per game. Los Angeles has totaled 9,298 points so far this year (113.4 per game) and they average 42.4 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Lakers are connecting on 47.9% from the floor, which is 9th in the league.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 35.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (1,112 of 3,124) and opponents are converting on 77.5% of their foul shots. They give up 27.3 assists and 43.0 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 22nd and 9th in basketball. The Lakers on the defensive end are ranked 10th in the NBA in PPG allowed with 112.2. They have forced 13.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (10th in basketball).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Minnesota (+5)

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