Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 1-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Lakers heading into Game 2 of their NBA playoffs first-round series on Tuesday.
Best first-round NBA playoff matchups
The For The Hoops crew discuss the most exciting first-round NBA playoff series, including Lakers vs. Timberwolves and Rockets vs. Warriors.
Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves sent a message to the Los Angeles Lakers, and perhaps the rest of the league, with how they started the 2025 NBA playoffs this past weekend. How LeBron James and Luka Doncic respond for Game 2 will be the marquee storyline of Tuesday’s postseason lineup.
The Timberwolves and Lakers are back in action at Crypto.com Arena after Minnesota delivered a convincing first blow by taking Game 1 on Saturday, 117-95, and flipped the odds of this Western Conference first-round series. Edwards nearly had a triple-double with 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and teammates Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid added 25 and 23 points, respectively, as the Timberwolves poured it on by hitting 21 of their 42 3-point attempts. After a rocky regular season following the trade of Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVencenzo, Minnesota is now 18-4 over its past 22 games.
Doncic, meanwhile, had 16 of his game-high 37 points in the first quarter of his Lakers playoff debut, but the team fizzled from there. James and Austin Reaves were held in check more than usual as Minnesota’s plethora of wings and size advantage inside proved to be matchup problems for Los Angeles. But Tuesday offers another chance for the Doncic-James partnership to shine in front of their home fans, and oddsmakers have pegged the Lakers as favorites to even this series before it heads to Minneapolis later this week.
Here’s a look at some picks and predictions, as well as the current odds, before Game 2 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves:
Lakers vs. Timberwolves predictions: Game 2 picks for NBA playoffs first round
Sporting News: Lakers 111, Timberwolves 104
“Look for Los Angeles to go back to the drawing board and focus on getting stops and clearing rebounds on Tuesday evening. And on offense, Luka and LeBron should hit Minnesota with plenty of high screen-and-rolls to capitalize on Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle’s deficient perimeter defense.”
ESPN: Lakers have 64.8% chance to win
The Los Angeles Lakers have a 64.8% chance to win Game 2 over the Minnesota Timberwolves in their Western Conference first-round playoff series, according to ESPN’s matchup predictor. The Timberwolves have a 35.2% chance to win on Tuesday.
Sports Illustrated: Timberwolves cover
“The Lakers have a great record against the spread when favored at home this season (21-12), but the Timberwolves are equally as good as road underdogs, going 10-5 against the spread in 15 games. This series could be a matchup nightmare for the Lakers if they are unable to find a way to get stops on the defensive end.”
Covers.com: Minnesota should win
“Asking Minnesota to upset Los Angeles again in Game 2 would be bold, though far from unprecedented given its sweep of the Suns in last year’s opening round. But certain pieces of that Saturday upset should hold. … The Timberwolves should not get 27 wide-open 3-pointers again, but they averaged 20 of them in the regular season, anyway. They should not make 50% of their 3-pointers, but a 22-point win cannot be explained away by a few extra 3-pointers.”
Lakers vs. Timberwolves Game 2 odds
The Los Angeles Lakers are favorites to bounce back with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of their 2025 NBA playoffs first-round series, according to BetMGM
BetMGM odds as of 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 22
- Spread: Lakers (-5.5)
- Moneyline: Lakers (-235); Timberwolves (-190)
- Over/under: 210.5
Lakers vs. Timberwolves series odds update
The Minnesota Timberwolves are now the favorite to win their Western Conference first-round series over the Los Angeles Lakers after a convincing win in Game 1. The Lakers were the series favorite before the 2025 NBA playoffs began.
- Series winner: Timberwolves (-135); Lakers (+110)
Lakers vs. Timberwolves: NBA playoffs schedule, time, TV channel, live streaming
Game 2 of the NBA playoffs first-round series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves will be broadcast nationally on TNT and simulcast via truTV. The game can be live streamed on Max or through Sling TV. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled to be televised by ESPN and ABC, respectively.
All times Eastern.
- Game 1: Timberwolves 117, Lakers 95
- Game 2: Timberwolves at Lakers | Tuesday, April 23 | 10:00 p.m | TNT, truTV, Max, Sling TV
- Game 3: Lakers at Timberwolves | Friday, April 26 | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo
- Game 4: Lakers at Timberwolves | Monday, April 28 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC, Fubo
- Game 5: Timberwolves at Lakers | Wednesday, April 30 | TBD*
- Game 6: Lakers at Timberwolves | Friday, May 2 | TBD*
- Game 7: Timberwolves at Lakers | Sunday, May 4 | TBD*
*if necessary
Watch Lakers vs. Timberwolves with Sling TV
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