Lakers, Wolves set for clash after statement wins
The Lakers and Timberwolves collide as Luka Dončić eyes history and LeBron James leads L.A.’s defensive resurgence.
NBA.com Staff
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The Western Conference playoff race is heating up, and two of its most battle-tested teams are riding momentum into tonight’s showdown (10:30 ET, NBA TV).
Fresh off a 25-point comeback win over the West-leading Thunder, the Minnesota Timberwolves secured their largest comeback victory in over 27 years. The following night, the Los Angeles Lakers responded with a statement of their own, as Luka Dončić recorded a triple-double against his former team and LeBron James dominated late to lift L.A. past Dallas— marking their 13th win in 16 games.
With 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Mavericks, Dončić has now recorded a regular-season triple-double against 29 of the NBA’s 30 teams. The only team left? The Timberwolves.
If he records one tonight, Luka will join LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the only players to post a triple-double against every NBA team.
The moment would come on the eve of his 26th birthday, adding another milestone to a resume that already includes the second-most triple-doubles before age 26, trailing only Oscar Robertson.
Since Jan. 20, the Lakers have been the hottest team in the NBA, boasting a league-best 13-3 record. While Luka’s arrival in L.A. has drawn spotlight, it’s been the team’s defense that has fueled its surge.
Leading the charge is none other than James, who at age 40, owns the 5th-best DefRtg among players logging 30+ minutes per game in at least five outings.
“LeBron is playing at an All-NBA Defense level,” said Lakers head coach JJ Redick. “I watch it every night … there’s no conservation of energy at that end of the floor.”
Despite L.A.’s recent dominance, the Wolves have had their number this season. In their last two meetings, Minnesota’s defense stifled the Lakers, holding them under 90 points in back-to-back wins.
Now, sitting just a half-game back of the Clippers for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the West, can the Wolves slow down the surging Lakers again? Or will Luka and LeBron keep the Lake Show rolling?
Detroit knocks off Boston to end a 17-year drought, Shaedon Sharpe throws down an epic hammer, OKC rallies and more from Wednesday’s action.
Luka Dončić does it all in the Lakers’ victory over his former team with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists.
Minnesota rallies from a 25-point hole, outscoring OKC 41-19 in the 4th quarter to force OT and nab a win in an epic comeback.
Two Kia MVPs with contrasting styles clash as the Nuggets travel to Milwaukee in a high-stakes showdown.
Curry swishes a 51-foot buzzer-beater to close the 1st half and outscores the Magic by himself in the 3rd quarter, 22-21.
Clark was on a 2-way deal that was converted to a standard contract through next season, which makes him eligible for the postseason.
Stay in the know on tonight’s NBA action as we keep you updated with the latest news and happenings around the league.
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How many points did Luka Doncic score tonight? Lakers vs. Timberwolves stats
Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers are back in action Thursday night against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dončić is coming off a triple-double performance against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks. He had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in 35 minutes of play in that contest.
The Lakers are 7-2 overall since Dončić was traded to Los Angeles, though 3-2 when he’s actually been in the lineup.
After the second quarter:
All things Lakers: Latest Los Angeles Lakers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
The Lakers will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday in the second game of a back-to-back. The game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Luka Doncic stats vs. Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards ejected
Lakers’ next game
Lakers vs. Timberwolves odds, score prediction, time: 2025 NBA picks, February 27 best bets from proven model
We’ve got another exciting Western Conference contest on Thursday’s NBA schedule as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles is 35-21 overall and 20-7 at home, while Minnesota is 32-27 overall and 16-13 on the road. The Timberwolves have won two of three meetings against the Lakers this season and the home team has won all three matchups.
Tipoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Lakers are favored by 5.5 points in the latest Timberwolves vs. Lakers odds, according to the SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 228. The Lakers are -202 on the money line (risk $202 to win $100), while the Timberwolves are +168 (risk $100 to win $168). Before entering any Lakers vs. Timberwolves picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-106 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Los Angeles vs. Minnesota. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Timberwolves vs. Lakers:
The Timberwolves are coming off an upset victory over the Thunder, knocking off the top seed in the Western Conference, 131- 128, in overtime on Monday. Minnesota was a 12-point underdog before winning outright behind three 20-point scorers. The starting forward duo of Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid played key roles as McDaniels had 27 points and 10 rebounds with Reid adding 22 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony Edwards had a near triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
The Timberwolves will remain without Julius Randle (groin) and Rudy Gobert (back), but they defeated the top-seeded Thunder twice over an 11-day span without their impactful big men. Minnesota has the No. 6 scoring defense (109 points per game) while holidng teams to 45.8% from the field, which ranks seventh in the league. See which team to pick here.
The Lakers are coming off an emotional 107-99 victory over the Mavericks on Tuesday. Luka Doncic had a triple-double against his former team with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists. Doncic had 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 123-100 victory over a strong Denver Nuggets team as the new-look Lakers are starting to form chemistry on the fly.
LeBron James took control in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of his 27 points in the final period as the Lakers entered the fourth quarter with just a one-point advantage against Dallas. James is averaging 24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game at 40 years old as he remains a dominant force. James (foot) is probable for Thursday and the Lakers are 16-11 (59.3%) against the spread at home this season. See which team to pick here.
The model has simulated Timberwolves vs. Lakers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, projecting 223 combined points, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Lakers vs. Timberwolves, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Timberwolves vs. Lakers spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 147-106 roll on top-rated NBA picks since last season, and find out.
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.
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