The NBA playoff race in the Western Conference was a hectic one that went right down to the wire. Only five games separated the No. 4 seed Phoenix Suns from the No. 10 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, who locked up the final spot in the Play-In Tournament.
You had to earn your chance at a playoff spot, but for a few teams, there is a little more work to do. The Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves are two of those teams as they will be facing off in the first Play-In Game in the Western Conference.
Minnesota won the regular season series 2-1, but drawing any conclusions from those games is tough. The Lakers were without either LeBron James or Anthony Davis in two of them and the Timberwolves are going to look vastly different tonight than they did in the regular season because of injuries and suspension.
The winner of this matchup will earn the No. 7 seed and a meeting with the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs. The loser will host the winner of the other play-in game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Thunder on Thursday night.
What can we expect to see when these teams face off on Tuesday night? Here is all the information you need for the game, with some analysis and predictions as well.
Date: April 11th, 2023
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Location: Crypto.Com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
TV Channel: TNT
Live Stream: Watch TNT, TNT App
Injury Report For Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Report: Luka Garza – Out – G League Two Way, Rudy Gobert – Out – Suspension, Jaden McDaniels – Out – Right-Hand Fracture, Jaylen Nowell – Questionable – Left Knee Tendinopathy, Naz Reid – Out – Left Scaphoid Fracture, Matt Ryan – Out – G League Two-Way, Karl-Anthony Towns – Questionable – Right Calf Strain
Los Angeles Lakers Injury Report: Anthony Davis – Probable – Right Foot Stress Injury, LeBron James – Probable – Right Foot Soreness, D’Angelo Russell – Probable – Left Foot Soreness
Expected Starters For Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Timberwolves Expected Starting Lineup: G Mike Conley Jr., G Anthony Edwards, F Taurean Prince, F Kyle Anderson, C Karl-Anthony Towns
Los Angeles Lakers Expected Starting Lineup: G D’Angelo Russell, G Austin Reaves, F LeBron James, F Jarred Vanderbilt, C Anthony Davis
Betting Odds For Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Timberwolves vs. Lakers Spread: Lakers -8.5
Timberwolves vs. Lakers Over/Under Total: Over/Under 232.5 Points
Timberwolves vs. Lakers Moneylines: Timberwolves: +310, Lakers: -380
These teams are heading in two different directions going into this matchup. The Lakers are gelling at the right time, winning nine out of their last 11 games. The Timberwolves have been a streaky team, alternating streaks of at least three wins and losses for nearly two months.
Los Angeles is in better form and for possibly the first time all season, isn’t at a disadvantage when it comes to players having to sit out. Their entire rotation is ready to play, while the Timberwolves will be without three key contributors.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS COVERAGE: Los Angeles Lakers & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
Rudy Gobert is serving a suspension for punching Kyle Anderson in the huddle in the season finale. Jaden McDaniels punched a wall during that game, fracturing his hand. Gobert’s backup Naz Reid is also sidelined, putting immense pressure on Karl-Anthony Towns to go toe-to-toe with Anthony Davis.
That is the key matchup to keep an eye on, but if the Timberwolves want any chance at pulling off the upset, they need Anthony Edwards to play at a high level. There is a lot of familiarity between the team stemming from the blockbuster trade ahead of the deadline in February that helped the Lakers jumpstart their turnaround.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS COVERAGE: Los Angeles Lakers & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
Ultimately, the Lakers are going to be too much for the Timberwolves in this game. The purple and gold have all of the momentum heading into tonight’s matchup and will win, setting up an intriguing matchup against the Grizzlies that would get underway this upcoming weekend.
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