Timberwolves vs. Lakers Prediction and Odds: Another 3-1 Comeback on the Menu for LeBron?

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves as they look to stave off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Wolves took a 3-1 series lead back in Minnesota on Sunday behind 43 points from Anthony Edwards. They lead the playoffs with a ridiculous +42.9 fourth-quarter net rating and have simply played with more intensity than the Lakers.

On the other side, JJ Redick is going to need to rectify his mistakes in Game 4. While he claimed that the late-game collapse was not due to fatigue from playing the same five players for the entire second half, the Wolves’ dominance in the final period indicates they have had more energy down the stretch of these games.

Here, I will break down the betting odds and share my favorite picks for the Timberwolves vs. Lakers Game 5 playoff encounter on Wednesday.

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Timberwolves vs. Lakers Betting Odds for Wednesday, April 30

The Timberwolves are 42-43-1 (49.4 percent) against the spread, 23-20 (53.5 percent) ATS on the road, and 13-7-1 (65 percent) ATS as an underdog.

The Lakers are 46-38-2 (54.8 percent) ATS, 28-15 (65.1 percent) ATS at home, and 28-22-2 (56 percent) ATS as a favorite.

Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. Use our BetMGM promo code WSNSPORTS to get up to $1,500 in bonus bets*.

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Timberwolves vs. Lakers Prediction

Minnesota Timberwolves Preview

Let’s start with a simple “well done” to the Timberwolves players and coaching staff. This series is not over, but they have acquitted themselves excellently thus far.

Players such as Jaden McDaniels (19.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 42.9% 3PT) and Julius Randle (22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 45.5% 3PT) have played well above their offensive standard. In Randle’s case, this is the first time in his NBA career he’s been anything better than terrible in a playoff series, and it just so happens that he’s been excellent.

Minnesota’s bench has also been awesome. Naz Reid single-handedly outscored the Lakers’ reserves in the series, while Donte DiVincenzo has made valuable contributions as a scorer and defender.

All in all, the Wolves are second in the playoffs in offensive rating (118.9) with a +7.7 net rating (fourth). They’ve taken great care of the ball, won the rebounding battle, and shot 38.1 percent from three-point land, all of which are leading reasons why they are in control of the series.

Perhaps most interestingly, the Lakers are learning that their small-ball “advantage” actually played into the Wolves’ hands. 

While Rudy Gobert has been excellent defensively in this series and deserves his just due, going small and turning the series into a battle of speed, physicality, and endurance with smaller guys on the court was a layup for a team whose ethos embodies all of those qualities.

The Timberwolves’ only loss in this series came in LA in Game 2, when they shot 38 percent from the floor and only made five threes. Edwards and Randle scored 25 and 27 points in that game, but nobody else had more than nine, and the team finished with 85 total points.

That result was a clear outlier in the series. However, it’s not out of the question that the Wolves take their foot off the gas knowing they have a 3-1 lead and get to go home in their next matchup.

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Los Angeles Lakers Preview

This wasn’t the Lakers’ plan. Pre-playoff odds had them as the second-most likely team to win the Western Conference, only behind the Thunder, and they’d been outstanding against elite teams.

There are only 13 instances in which a team rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to win. LeBron James famously captained one of those teams in the NBA Finals against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, but he was not 40 years old and often relying on a teammate to carry the scoring burden when that happened.

LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura are not going to be able to play much better than they did in Game 4, when they combined for 105 points on 49.3 percent shooting from the field and 44.7 percent from three. Instead, they’re going to need more contributions from Gabe Vincent, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Jaxson Hayes, who combined to score eight points in 58 minutes.

Doncic also needs to deliver in the fourth quarter the way he does in the first. LeBron has been excellent on defense in this series, but he’s appeared gassed on offense in the final minutes.

LA’s point-of-attack defense also needs to be better, which will be nearly impossible with the minutes burden that’s been placed on the star players.

This series and situation is reminiscent of when the Dallas Mavericks were down 3-0 to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Doncic came out with a fire and played excellent defense in Game 4, and I wonder if he will do the same in this instance. 

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Timberwolves vs. Lakers Betting Pick

• Timberwolves vs. Lakers pick: Timberwolves +5.5 (-110) at BetMGM

The Timberwolves have been flat-out awesome in this series. They played harder, executed better, have been more resilient, and deserve their lead.

Edwards has a ton to gain legacy-wise if he can add the pelts of LeBron and Doncic to his wall. He leads his team in points, rebounds, and assists per game, and I don’t doubt his mentality heading into Game 5, even if I’m not sure the entire Wolves team will play with desperation.

The Lakers haven’t been bad in this series, they’ve just run out of gas at the end. I think they could easily win, but I don’t trust them to cover this many points given the Timberwolves’ dominance in the final period.

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How to Watch Timberwolves vs. Lakers on 4/30/25

When: Wednesday, April 30 @ 7:00/10:00 p.m. ET/PT

Where: crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

TV: TNT/truTV/Max