The Minnesota Timberwolves (1-0) and Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The game will broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
The Timberwolves are 2.5-point favorites over the Lakers on the spread (Timberwolves -2.5), with the over/under set at 225.5 total points. Minnesota is a -140 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +120 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Timberwolves vs. Lakers predictions and NBA picks for Friday, October 24.
My Timberwolves vs Lakers Prediction
- Timberwolves vs Lakers pick: Timberwolves Moneyline (-140)
My Timberwolves vs Lakers best bet is on Minnesota moneyline, with the best price currently available at DraftKings. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Timberwolves vs Lakers Odds
| Timberwolves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 225.5 -110o / -110u | -140 |
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 225.5 -110o / -110u | +120 |
Timberwolves vs Lakers NBA Preview
Although we're only a few games into the NBA season, it's never too early to start forming opinions about how this campaign will unfold.
The West is particularly intriguing, given whether anyone can stop the Thunder from reaching a third consecutive No. 1 seed in the conference.
When it's this early in the season, you tend to spend more time poring over personnel because the sample size isn't big enough to extrapolate any relevant data with so few games played.
Therefore, Friday's matchup between the Timberwolves and Lakers is really down to roster availability, and Los Angeles will likely struggle to cope without LeBron James on the floor.
Even before the season started, the Lakers announced that James would not be available due to a lower back sciatica injury.
With his return date uncertain, he won't be re-evaluated until early November.
As good as James has been throughout his career, his injury woes shouldn't come as a complete surprise considering he's just a few months away from his 41st birthday.
Unfortunately, after years of trading away their young talent and plenty of draft picks, the Lakers seem to lack the depth to overcome a spell without James —particularly against the better teams in the league.
Sports Illustrated's Ryan Stano was surprised to see the Lakers receive a B grade from ESPN for their offseason moves, and I tend to agree with his sentiment.
The additions of Deandre Ayton (27) and Marcus Smart (31) feel like more of a reach than anything else for players who missed 20+ games in each of the past two seasons due to injuries.
Ayton is also a shell of himself, considering he's a former No. 1 overall pick who managed only 14.4 points per game last season with the Trail Blazers.
Smart will join his third team in as many years, as he hasn't come close to regaining his form since the Celtics traded him in 2023.
Other signings include Jake LaRavia (unrestricted FA), Nick Smith Jr. (two-way contract), along with Adou Thiero (No. 36) and Chris Manon (undrafted) from the 2025 draft class.
Their most significant departure was Dorian Finney-Smith, who played in only 43 games but was their best perimeter defender.
On opening night, we saw the Warriors shoot 42.5% (17 of 40) from beyond the arc against Los Angeles.
I'm not sure this roster has the personnel to trouble teams defensively.
If not for Luka Doncic's 43-point effort, the Lakers would easily have lost the contest by a wider margin than 10 points.
Timberwolves vs Lakers Prediction, Betting Analysis
If we turn to the Timberwolves' offseason activity, they managed to keep the majority of the squad intact, aside from Nickeil Alexander-Walker's departure.
Like Finney-Smith, Walker is an excellent defender and perimeter player, but the Timberwolves have the depth with players like Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark to overcome his absence.
Minnesota has fared well against the Lakers of late, winning seven of the last 10 meetings.
Friday's visit also features Julius Randle returning to his old stomping ground, where he began his career.
The Timberwolves won't worry too much if Doncic has another big game, so long as they keep the rest of his teammates bottled up.
My one worry about Minnesota is that the team tends to play with its food and doesn't finish opponents off convincingly.
Thus, with a short point spread at -2.5, I'll back the visitors on the moneyline at -140.
Pick: Timberwolves ML (-140)
Lakers vs Timberwolves Betting Trends
