Give the Lakers credit: They routinely make things interesting.
The LeBron James hoopla took a unique turn this week with buzz that the Lakers are better without him in the lineup and, perhaps, he should be relegated to a reserve role.
However, whenever assessing James, one must also account for the star power.
This comes on the heels of Los Angeles’ impressive 110-97 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday. The Lakers are now 9-2 this season when James sits but Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves play.
The Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday as 1.5-point underdogs with a total of 233.5 points.
James is expected to return from elbow and foot soreness, but that will likely be a game-time decision.
Minnesota also makes things interesting, but for separate reasons. The Timberwolves’ upside is their ability to beat any team on any given night.
However, they have eight losses against teams currently below .500, which is tied for the second-most among the 12 current playoff teams.
The T’wolves have also lost nine times this year as a favorite of at least 7.5 points. Overall, they are 27-37 against the spread (ATS), which ranks third-worst in the NBA.
They have certainly been a headache for handicappers.
Thus, I can only cautiously back Minnesota, but I will still brave the situation. The T’wolves are coming off yet another disappointing loss and I believe this matchup will have their attention.
Betting on the NBA?
Plus, I am not convinced the Lakers have become an elite defense.
They deserve credit for an inspired win over the Knicks, but New York missed several open 3-pointers and might have just fallen victim to the ebbs and flows of a road trip.
I have a 104-84-2 ATS record in this Post sports section and my next play is Minnesota -1.5 points at the Lakers (-110, bet365 Sportsbook).
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
