OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Writer Vegas Matty previews the Lakers and Timberwolves.
The Los Angeles Lakers (42-19) have won the last 13 meetings with the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-46) and will try to win for the seventh straight time at the Target Center when the teams meet on Tuesday. The Lakers (-9) looked like they were running out of gas in losing three in a row just prior to the All-Star break, but they seem to be returning to championship form during a four-game winning streak since that skid.
Los Angeles is coming off a 90-87 victory at Oklahoma City on Sunday, rallying from a five-point halftime deficit by quieting the Thunder after the intermission. The Lakers outscored Oklahoma City 21-13 in the third quarter and held them to only 31 second-half points. Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 43 points but also turned the ball over 12 times.
LA has already beaten Minnesota twice this season, but both wins came during the first month. The Lakers failed to cover the first meeting in a 99-94 home victory on November 9 and then blew out the Timberwolves on the road 10 days later, 112-95. That was also the last time Minnesota All-Star forward Kevin Love did not record a double-double, as he failed to score and had seven rebounds in nearly 38 minutes of action.
Love has put together a streak of 46 consecutive double-double since then and is coming off a monster 37-point, 23-rebound performance in a 126-123 home win over Golden State on Sunday. He has scored less than 10 points only one other time this season and finished with 23 points and 24 boards in the first meeting with the Lakers.
Despite Love’s outstanding season, the Timberwolves have still dropped seven of their last eight games, covering the spread just twice during that stretch. The UNDER is 6-1 in their last seven games and 12-3 in their past 15.
Los Angeles has seen the OVER cash in three of its last four road games, but poor defense was to blame in those games. The Lakers gave up more than 100 points each time and have limited their opponents to an average of less than 91 points during their current winning streak.
Minnesota has not scored more than 96 points in the last six meetings with LA, and the UNDER is 6-0 in those games. The Timberwolves are 5-4 ATS in the past nine games between the teams even though they have lost all of them straight-up.
Top expert pick on today’s card: A sports betting advisory has been issued for Tuesday due to one of the top NBA cards of the year for sports betting investors.
Make no mistake about it. Tuesday is one of the biggest days of the season in pro basketball for Stevie Vincent clients. The Great One has three four winners, three are Level 5 plays. The top angle in each game is a combined 53-3. Each super trend is unlocked inside the play.