The Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves meet Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Tipoff is set for 10:00 PM ET. Minnesota leads the series 1-0 after a 117-95 win in Game 1.
The Lakers are the 3-seed in the Western Conference after finishing 50-32. Minnesota came in as the 6-seed with a 49-33 record. The Timberwolves are looking to win both games in Los Angeles before heading home for Game 3. The teams split their four regular-season games, each winning twice on their home floor.
Timberwolves Preview – Strong Finish to the Season Carries Over
Minnesota closed the regular season with a 17-4 run and looked sharp in Game 1. Jaden McDaniels led the team with 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Anthony Edwards nearly posted a triple-double with 22 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds.
Julius Randle added 16 points and 5 assists in his playoff return. The Wolves shot 52.1% from the field and held the Lakers to 39.8%. Mike Conley had 3 steals and helped the team get out in transition, while Rudy Gobert anchored the paint on defense despite scoring just 2 points.
Defensively, Minnesota kept the Lakers from getting into rhythm. They out-rebounded Los Angeles and limited the Lakers’ ball movement with just 17 assists allowed. The Timberwolves also got 20 bench points, including key minutes from Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson.
Lakers Preview – Searching for Answers After Game 1 Loss
The Lakers started Game 1 with a strong first quarter, but they were outplayed the rest of the way. Luka Doncic scored 37 points and had 8 rebounds, but no other Laker topped 20 points. LeBron James added 19 points, and Austin Reaves had 16 but was scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles shot just 7-of-25 from three-point range and struggled to match Minnesota’s energy. Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes combined for just 10 points. The Lakers were also without Maxi Kleber, who remains out with a foot injury.
The Lakers have been strong at home this season, going 31-11, and they are 4-2 in their last six playoff games at Crypto.com Arena. They need better ball control and improved defense to avoid going down 0-2. The team is also hoping for more support from the bench, which scored just 12 points in Game 1.
Betting Prediction
The Lakers are favored by 5.5 points, with the total set at 211. Minnesota has covered the spread in three of the last four meetings and is 17-7 ATS in their last 24 road games. The under has hit in 7 of the last 10 meetings between these teams.
Game 2 should be closer than Game 1, but Minnesota has momentum and is playing with confidence. The Lakers should improve, but the Wolves match up well and have multiple scoring options. Final score prediction: Lakers 106, Timberwolves 104.
Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves +5.5 over Los Angeles Lakers
This is going to be a great seven-game series. This should be a fun game 2. The Lakers need to get this one. We will take Minnesota to cover, but the Lakers win in a close one.
