Through 3 Quarters
The Minnesota Timberwolves are giving their home crowd exactly what it was hoping to see. Three quarters in and their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Los Angeles Lakers 85-65 three quarters in.
The Timberwolves have been led by center Karl-Anthony Towns, who so far has 28 points and four assists in addition to nine rebounds and three blocks. Towns does need to be careful, however, as he is in foul trouble with four. Power forward Jaden McDaniels is also in foul trouble with four.
Los Angeles hasn’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to 11 points or fewer.
Who’s Playing
Los Angeles @ Minnesota
Current Records: Los Angeles 16-13; Minnesota 13-15
What to Know
The Los Angeles Lakers are staying on the road on Friday to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 10 p.m. ET Dec. 17 at Target Center. These two teams seek to continue their momentum from their previous wins.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but the Lakers ultimately got the result they were hoping for on Wednesday with a 107-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Point guard Russell Westbrook and small forward LeBron James were among the main playmakers for Los Angeles as the former almost dropped a triple-double on 23 points, ten rebounds, and nine assists and the latter had 24 points and five assists.
Meanwhile, Minnesota strolled past the Denver Nuggets with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the contest 124-107. The Timberwolves can attribute much of their success to shooting guard Anthony Edwards, who shot 10-for-14 from beyond the arc and finished with 38 points and five boards, and center Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 32 points.
Los Angeles is expected to win this handily, but they should have beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder Nov. 4 easily too and instead slipped up with a 107-104. In other words, don’t count Minnesota out just yet.
How To Watch
- When: Friday at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: Target Center — Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: ESPN
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $72.84
Odds
The Lakers are a slight 1-point favorite against the Timberwolves, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Timberwolves as a 1-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Minnesota have won 12 out of their last 20 games against Los Angeles.
- Nov 12, 2021 – Minnesota 107 vs. Los Angeles 83
- Mar 16, 2021 – Los Angeles 137 vs. Minnesota 121
- Feb 16, 2021 – Los Angeles 112 vs. Minnesota 104
- Dec 27, 2020 – Los Angeles 127 vs. Minnesota 91
- Dec 08, 2019 – Los Angeles 142 vs. Minnesota 125
- Jan 24, 2019 – Minnesota 120 vs. Los Angeles 105
- Jan 06, 2019 – Minnesota 108 vs. Los Angeles 86
- Nov 07, 2018 – Los Angeles 114 vs. Minnesota 110
- Oct 29, 2018 – Minnesota 124 vs. Los Angeles 120
- Apr 06, 2018 – Minnesota 113 vs. Los Angeles 96
- Feb 15, 2018 – Minnesota 119 vs. Los Angeles 111
- Jan 01, 2018 – Minnesota 114 vs. Los Angeles 96
- Dec 25, 2017 – Minnesota 121 vs. Los Angeles 104
- Apr 09, 2017 – Los Angeles 110 vs. Minnesota 109
- Mar 30, 2017 – Minnesota 119 vs. Los Angeles 104
- Mar 24, 2017 – Los Angeles 130 vs. Minnesota 119
- Nov 13, 2016 – Minnesota 125 vs. Los Angeles 99
- Feb 02, 2016 – Los Angeles 119 vs. Minnesota 115
- Dec 09, 2015 – Minnesota 123 vs. Los Angeles 122
- Oct 28, 2015 – Minnesota 112 vs. Los Angeles 111
Injury Report for Minnesota
- Anthony Edwards: Out (Covid-19)
- Taurean Prince: Out (Covid-19)
Injury Report for Los Angeles
- Trevor Ariza: Out (Ankle)
- Dwight Howard: Out (Covid-19)
- Malik Monk: Out (Covid-19)
- Talen Horton-Tucker: Out (Covid-19)
- Austin Reaves: Out (Covid-19)
- Avery Bradley: Out (Covid-19)
- Kendrick Nunn: Out (Knee)