The NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday with two games and the Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the back end of the doubleheader. Opening night always gets a lot of attention from fans and bettors, but we have found the best bets and a prediction for the Timberwolves vs. the Lakers from the top betting sites.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers
| Point Spread | MIN -1.5 |
| Total | 219 o/u |
| Pick | Timberwolves -1.5, Under 219 |
The Timberwolves were the #3 seed in the Western Conference last season with a 56-26 record. They swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round in such humiliating fashion that the Suns fired head coach Frank Vogel. In the conference semifinals, the Timberwolves defeated the defending champion Denver Nuggets in a thrilling seven-game series. The Timberwolves ran out of gas in the Western Conference Finals when the Dallas Mavericks knocked them out in five games.
The Lakers secured the #7 seed through the play-in tournament with a 47-35 record. They were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the opening round in just five games.
Heading into this season, the Timberwolves have a projected win total of 52.5 over/under after trading away Karl-Anthony Towns. They’re tied for fourth on the board and they’re the second highest team in the Western Conference.
NBA betting oddsmakers do not have a lot of faith in the Lakers, who have a win total of 43.5 o/u and they’re the ninth-highest team from the west on the board. The Lakers are +3000 odds to win the NBA Championship, and +1600 odds to win the conference.
The Timberwolves are +1000 odds to win the 2024-25 NBA championship and tied for fifth on the NBA futures board according to DraftKings. They’re also +500 odds to win the Western Conference and advance to the NBA Finals.
On paper, the Timberwolves are a superior team compared to the Lakers which is why we like them as one of our best bests to cover -1.5 as a road favorite against a rookie head coach. It’s always difficult to make a game prediction so early in the season but we also like the points under 2019 in the Timberwolves vs. the Lakers. This will be the first time that the starters log a full game load. The Timberwolves have two new rotation players with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Meanwhile, the Lakers have a new head coach in JJ Redick who, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how he handles the pressure in his NBA debut.
Timberwolves: Post KAT-Trade
Despite last season’s success, the Timberwolves made a major trade in the offseason when they sent Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Randle, DiVincenzo, and a draft pick.
Fans of the Knicks were thrilled at the blockbuster trade, while many fans in Minnesota were skeptical with a bold move from their front office. The beloved Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game last season. He was the team’s second-best scorer and rebounder. He was also second-best 3-point shooter from the starting five with a 41.6% success rate.
The Timberwolves felt the addition of Randle and DiVincenzo combined will make up for any scoring they will lose without Towns. The emergence of Naz Reid was also a factor in moving on from Towns. Reid won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season averaging 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds, but the big man was also an excellent defender and often was on the floor in crunch time late in games.
With Towns gone, the entire offense will revolve around All-Star guard Anthony Edwards. He steadily improved during his first four seasons in the league, and he averaged a career-best 25.9 points and 5.1 assists per game last season. The ‘Ant Man’ has been phenomenal in the playoffs. He averaged 31.6 ppg two postseasons ago and stepped up in the 2024 NBA Playoffs with 27.6 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
For player prop bets, consider a flier on Randle securing a double-double at +235 odds. He was close to averaging 10 rebounds per game during his tenure with the Knicks. Although it might take Randle a couple of games to get in sync with the offense, rebounding is instinctual and it’s one of his best attributes.
Lakers: The Circus Begins!
The Lakers parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons and a disappointing first-round exit in the playoffs. Instead of hiring a veteran coach with a championship pedigree like Mike Budenholzer, the Lakers gambled on Redick. Although Redick is a long-time NBA veteran, he pivoted to the media and broadcasting when he retired. He had zero head coaching experience at any level, which was surprising to many NBA insiders.
The controversial hiring of Redick led many fans and experts to speculate that the Lakers were less interested in winning another championship, but knew they needed someone media-savvy and articulate like Redick to handle the deluge of attention. The Lakers are always a circus, but they will get even more attention in the season that LeBron James turns 40-yars old and plays with his eldest son, Bronny James.
The Lakers selected Bronny in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft despite being a bench player in his only season at USC. You do not have to be an NBA scout to know that Bronny is not ready to make the leap to the pros, and he should’ve stayed in college a couple more seasons. Then again, LeBron calls all the shots on the Lakers and is known as the team’s shadow general manager, so it was inevitable that the Lakers were going to draft his son. There’s no shortage of “nepo babies” in Hollywood, and Bronny is the latest example of blatant nepotism.
Bronny should begin the season on their G League development team for the opportunity to improve his lackluster defense and horrendous 3-point shooting. Alas, Bronny is expected to make his NBA debut against the Timberwolves. It will mark the first time a father and son play together on the same team in a regular season game. The historic moment will be great for TV ratings, but you must feel bad for the kid who is getting thrust into the spotlight to fulfill a bucket list item for an aging NBA superstar in the twilight of his career that knows his team does not have a real shot at winning a championship.
