Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Odds and Picks for Sunday, 04/27/25

One of the best series of the opening round of the NBA playoffs has been this Western Conference matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. So far, this series has adhered to the Zig-Zag Theory, in which the momentum shifts between the home and road teams based on how each performed in the previous game. The idea is that each game in a playoff series is affected by the result of the game that preceded it, which is exactly how every game in this series has gone. It just so happens that I’m going right back to the well with that pattern in Game 4, as I’ll be backing the Lakers to even the series at 2 games apiece following their defeat on Friday.

The biggest detriment to the Lakers on Friday was their offense, specifically a lack of production from Luka Doncic, who was suffering from a stomach illness heading into that contest. Minnesota’s defense is already an elite unit, but Doncic has shown that he can score on the likes of Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, or whoever the Timberwolves throw his way. In the first 2 games back in Los Angeles, Doncic set the tone early and finished with over 30 points in both games. I’d look for a similar trend in this game, especially with a couple of days of treatment for that illness in between Games 3 and 4. Minnesota’s role players are naturally going to play better at home, but I’d expect McDaniels (30 points in Game 3) to come back down to earth a bit on Sunday, especially since JJ Reddick has proven to be an excellent motivator and schematic coach on the defensive side of the ball for Los Angeles.

As for the Lakers offense, Austin Reaves finally showed signs of life from beyond the 3-point arc in Game 3 and LeBron James (38 points in Game 3) can always be trusted to put forth a great effort in a playoff game of this magnitude. The series is effectively over if the Lakers end up falling behind 3-1, so I’m expecting Reddick and the coaching staff to make the necessary adjustments needed to give Los Angeles an edge in this pivotal Game 4.

Lakers vs Timberwolves prediction: Lakers ML (+130) available at time of publishing. Playable to +120

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