The Los Angeles Lakers hope to end a two-game skid with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves as small home underdogs on the NBA odds at sportsbooks.
The Los Angeles Lakers are 5-9 straight up and 6-7-1 ATS over their last 14 games since losing LeBron James to an injury on Christmas Day. The Lakers will try to pick up a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at home this Thursday night.
Los Angeles is a 1.5-point home underdog on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last eight games as a home underdog, the Lakers are just 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS.
Los Angeles Lakers Notes
Already feeling the ill effects of having both LeBron James and Rajon Rondo out with injuries, Los Angeles lost Lonzo Ball for an extended period of time due to an ankle injury suffered against Houston last Saturday.
Rondo is a game time decision for this matchup against Minnesota and could make his return to the court, but the Lakers are now desperately thin at point guard and may need to make a move to add some depth. With a current record of 25-23 SU and 21-26-1 ATS, Los Angeles is in a battle just for a playoff spot.
The Lakers are 4-10 SU and 5-9 ATS in their last 14 games against Minnesota per the OddsShark NBA Database.
Minnesota Timberwolves Notes
Minnesota enters Thursday night’s contest sitting 1.5 games behind the Lakers with a record of 23-24 SU and 24-23 ATS.
The Timberwolves snapped a stretch of 13 straight seasons without a playoff berth thanks to last year’s 45-37 campaign, but the momentum of last season was lost in the early stages of this one as the team had to deal with the controversy swirling around former teammate Jimmy Butler.
Minnesota is 6-3 SU and 5-4 ATS over its last nine games and is hoping for a much stronger performance in the second half of the season.
Timberwolves at Lakers Total
Thursday night’s total is set at 229 points at sports betting sites. The OVER is 15-3 in Minnesota’s last 18 games.
While the Timberwolves have been improving on the road with a 5-3 SU and ATS record in their last eight road games, they are still just 7-16 SU and 10-13 ATS away from home this season. A road win this Thursday against a depleted Lakers team ahead of them in the standings would be another step in the right direction.
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