The Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers do battle as they both grind out for a better playoff spot.
Catch the game tomorrow at 9:30 AM, Manila time.
AWAY: Minnesota Timberwolves (44-20, 20-12 AWAY)
Projected starting five:
- Mike Conley
- Anthony Edwards
- Jaden McDaniels
- Kyle Anderson
- Rudy Gobert
The Timberwolves will be on the heels of a 113-104 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are 2-3 across their last five games, averaging 108.8 points per game and allowing 110.2 on the other end.
With premiere big man Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined, Naz Reid figures to be a key piece off-the-bench. He did well vs. Cleveland and chipped in 34 points with seven three-pointers. It was huge, but leading scorer Anthony Edwards had an off-night and shot a dreadful 7-of-27 with five turnovers, hence the loss. Tomorrow should be different, though, especially since they already have two victories on the Lakers. Both have good numbers in the season series – Edwards at 29.0 PPG, and Reid at 15.0 PPG on 55 FG% and 45.5 3FG%.
Rudy Gobert’s (14.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 66.7 FG% vs. LAL) battle with Anthony Davis in the paint will be huge, and could very well dictate a good chunk of the contest.
Minny remains as the top-rated team in the league, ranking first in points allowed per game and defensive rating.
HOME: Los Angeles Lakers (35-30, 23-11 HOME)
Projected starting five:
- D’Angelo Russell
- Austin Reaves
- Taurean Prince
- LeBron James (day-to-day)
- Anthony Davis
With LeBron James resting his ankle Saturday, the Lakers collected a big win, defeating East’s third seed Milwaukee Bucks, 123-122. The Lakeshow has been all over the place all season long, but they are surprisingly at 11-5 over their last 16 games (120.5 PPG, 118.1 PAPG).
D’Angelo Russell will be fresh-off a season-high 44-point explosion, a good momentum-builder as he faces his former team. He now has 22.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.0 threes on 45.8% shooting from beyond the arc since January 13th (25 games). Tomorrow is a good opportunity to continue redeeming himself as he has only put up 11.0 points on 34.8% shooting in two games opposite Minnesota.
James is day-to-day, and his energy and body language will be pivotal as per usual. He has 28.4 / 6.3 / 9.7 on 58.4 FG% and 47.5 FG% in his last seven, but the Lakers are only 4-3 in that stretch. Anthony Davis, meanwhile, is at 32.0 / 12.5 / 6.0 / 2.0 / 2.5 in two games vs. MIN this season. He may very well produce the same numbers, though we’ll see if he can finally power this team to a win against Minny.
PREDICTIONS:
Handicap: The Lakers (-1.5) don’t cover the spread.
Over/Under: The total goes over 225.5.
