Timberwolves vs Lakers Free Pick, NBA Free Picks, NBA Predictions 4/30/25
J.A. Cavalier- Apr 30
- 3 min read
MINNESOTA @ LA LAKERS (LAL -5.5, 209.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
TIMBERWOLVES @ LAKERS 4/30/25
The Minnesota Timberwolves will play Game 5 tonight in Los Angeles, the first of three opportunities they have earned to finish their first-found Western Conference playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
With a 32-19 lead in the fourth quarter and a 116-113 victory, the aggressive Timberwolves overpowered the Lakers in the final minutes of Game 4, taking a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven opening-round series.
With 16 of his game-and series-high 43 points in the final 12 minutes, Anthony Edwards was unquestionably the star. In the fourth quarter, Edwards also made three of his five three-pointers, continuing Minnesota's overall comeback that began a month and a half prior to the end of the regular season.
Since March 2, when Julius Randle returned from a groin injury, the Timberwolves have gone 20-5. Randle's arrival in the offseason caused the team's reorganized roster to struggle to find its identity, but it now seems to be a cohesive whole.
The Lakers had a 12-point lead in the third quarter and a 10-point lead with 11:25 remaining when they won Game 4. With 3:47 left, Minnesota overcame a 104-102 deficit to take the lead thanks to three free throws from Edwards. Never again did the Wolves fall behind. Randle scored 25 points, Jaden McDaniels had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Edwards contributed nine rebounds and six assists.
The Lakers are on the verge of elimination despite all of the attention they have received this season, from LeBron James playing with his son to the unexpected exit of Anthony Davis and the arrival of Luka Doncic. Los Angeles' season can now only be extended by a three-game winning streak.
The addition of Doncic gave the impression that the Lakers were making plans for the future and were prepared to forgo defense in order to have a star on hand when James eventually left. However, in head coach JJ Redick's first year, the Lakers discovered a winning formula with Doncic.
After being slowed down in Game 3 due to a stomach ailment, Doncic finished Game 4 with 38 points. In the loss, James finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists and offered no excuses.
The Timberwolves' shooting percentage of 42.2 percent was lower than the Lakers' 45 percent. However, with Edwards putting in a lot of work on both ends of the court, Los Angeles shot 27.8 percent and Minnesota shot 45.5 percent in the fourth quarter.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
MINNESOTA OVER 101.5
It will be a battle tonight as the Lakers fight for their playoff lives. Regardless, this number is just too low. The Wolves have hit this number in 3 of the 4 games in this series. Going back to the regular season, Minnesota has scored at least 102 points in 9 of the last 10 and 19 of the last 20 games. For the entire season, the TWolves have gone Over this prop in 92 percent of their games, averaging 114.3.
