The Los Angeles Lakers are not out of the woods yet. To keep their playoff hopes alive, head coach Darvin Ham and his crew have to get past the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. This is also the first Play-In Tournament game in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, Minnesota finished not too far behind with a 42-40 overall record. They are only a win and a loss behind the seventh-seed Lakers team. Both sides get two chances at a playoff spot given their final regular-season record. But, this remains a must-win for both sides to get vital rest before the postseason takes off.

Nitrobetting shares the latest news, NBA odds, and special features throughout the 2022-23 NBA season. Let’s get a closer look at the upcoming Timberwolves vs. Lakers face-off in this preview.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers 2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Game Information

Minnesota @Timberwolves Status Report in advance of tomorrow’s game at Los Angeles Lakers: pic.twitter.com/nwKrPUEz9Y

— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) April 10, 2023

• When: Tuesday, April 11, 2023, 10:00 PM ET
• Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• TV: TNT
• Radio: 97.7FM News Talk WHCU (Timberwolves) // 710 ESPNLA (Lakers)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: Timberwolves (+8.5) // Lakers (-8.5)

READ MORE: Hawks vs. Heat 2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Preview – April 11th

Why Bet on the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Minnesota’s injury list features several key players unavailable for Tuesday night’s game. First-year Timberwolf Rudy Gobert is suspended for a scuffle with teammate Jaden McDaniels. The latter, who faced frustrating moments in his last appearance, is also out until at least April 30 after punching the wall on his way to the locker room. Moreover, Karl-Anthony Towns is awaiting a game-time decision since sustaining a calf injury.

The visitors average 115.8 points per game on a third-best 49.0% shooting during the regular season. They are deadly from close and mid-range, hitting 56.8% of their two-point attempts. Minnesota also holds its own from downtown and averages 36.5% in three-point shooting. Anthony Edwards will lead the team in scoring with averages of 24.63 points on top of a team-best 1.58 steals per game.

Defense is where a majority of Minnesota’s efforts come in. They limit opponents to 115.8 points per game on 47.1% shooting. They showcase incredible interior defense that keeps teams to 53.2% from the two-point range. As for rebounding, the team collects 50.0 total boards per game. The suspended Gobert leads this statistic with 11.63 per game.

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Lakers have been playing quality basketball over the last few weeks. They managed to pull themselves out of the 11th seed and finished the regular season as the seventh-best Western Conference franchise.

So far, this side of LA has been doing the offensive work with averages of 117.2 points per game on a tenth-best 48.2% shooting. They are effective from the two-point range and hit 55.5% of their shots inside the arc, resulting in figures of 54.5 points in the paint per game. The Lakers have to do better from deep with stats of 34.6% from downtown.

At 38 years of age, King LeBron James still puts the hammer down with a team-best record of 28.91 points per game to go with 8.31 boards and 6.82 assists per game. The squad also has a handful of double-digit scorers, including AD, Dennis Schroder, DLO, Austin Reaves, and Loonie Walker.

As for the Lakers’ defense, they hold teams to 116.6 points per game on a tenth-best 46.9% opponent shooting. They defend the three-point perimeter well and limit competitors to 34.4% from deep. Furthermore, the Lakers are the fifth-best rebounding team right now with totals of 54.2 rebounds per game.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Betting Trends

• The Timberwolves are 3-2 in the last five games (3-2 ATS).
• The Timberwolves are 3-2 in the last five meetings versus the Lakers (4-1 ATS).
• The totals went under in four of the Timberwolves’ last five games against the Lakers.
• The Lakers are 4-1 in the last five contests at Crypto.com Arena (3-2 ATS).
• The Lakers are 3-2 in the last five home games versus the Timberwolves (2-3 ATS).
• The totals went over in four of the Lakers’ last five home contests.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Expert Betting Prediction

It’s a bad time for the Timberwolves to be short-handed as Rudy Gobert serves his one-game suspension for punching Kyle Anderson during a timeout. KAT and Jaylen Nowell could miss this crucial game as well. This alone gives the healthier Lakers squad stronger points on top of home advantage. A healthy duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James is hard to compete against. Add to that a performing crew of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, and Minessota is up for a challenging road to the playoffs.

Nevertheless, the Wolves won their regular-season series, two games to one. This should relieve some pressure off Chris Finch’s shoulders on Tuesday night. Covering the spread should be doable, but a win demands everything from the visitors this time.

Where to Bet on the 2022-23 NBA season with Bitcoin

Nitrobetting offers a solid channel for those who want to bet on the 2023 NBA Season with bitcoin. The power of crypto and its lightning-fast transactions make the entire NBA Season betting more enjoyable.

This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2022-23 NBA season previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest basketball betting odds on our online BTC sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.