Talk about settling a score! Last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves were on the cusp of an NBA Finals appearance with only Luka Doncic and the Mavericks in the way. Doncic led his Mavericks to a surprise berth in the NBA championship series, keeping that squad from creating team history.
Minnesota got its revenge in a big way on Sunday despite Doncic’s 37-point performance for his new team. The Timberwolves stretched an 11-point halftime lead into a 26-point lead midway through the third quarter, coasting to a 117-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Can Los Angeles even the series on Tuesday when these two teams face off inside Crypto.com Arena? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player prop wagers for this Western Conference first-round matchup.
Los Angeles Lakers SF LeBron James OVER 24.5 Points
Despite turning 40 years old this season, LeBron James has continued to be a leader for the Lakers. During the regular season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists, finishing 22nd or better in the NBA in all three categories.
James is more than capable of scoring points, but the Timberwolves have held him under his season average in three of the four meetings this year. With his season on the line, bettors should expect him to have a strong showing and score at least 25 points in this contest to cover this player prop wager.
Minnesota Timberwolves PG Anthony Edwards UNDER 5.5 Assists
Last year’s playoff hero – Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards – had his best regular season yet as a professional. He recorded 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, leading his team to a 49-33 record.
Despite his progress, the Lakers have been a terrible matchup for Edwards in 2024-2025. In four games before the playoffs, Edwards averaged 19 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists against Los Angeles. Sunday’s game was the first time he’d surpassed five assists against the Lakers, so bettors should take the under on this prop bet.
Los Angeles Lakers PG Luka Doncic UNDER 46.5 Pts + Reb + Ast
Los Angeles made their midseason blockbuster deal to acquire Doncic so the Lakers could make another deep playoff run with James. Doncic has held up his end of the deal, averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists during 28 games with the squad this season.
Even scoring 37 points on Sunday, Doncic didn’t eclipse 46 combined points and rebounds in these two teams’ first matchup. Outside of recording that total in two straight games to end the season, the Slovenian had only covered this mark in three of his team’s previous 12 games. Expect him to fall short again on Tuesday, and bettors should take the under on this prop bet.
Best Bet: Lakers (-5.5)
The Timberwolves surprised Los Angeles on Sunday, taking control of a 35-33 contest in the second quarter with a 12-1 run over three minutes. Minnesota always found a way to answer the Lakers’ runs, helping the T’wolves win the first game in blowout fashion.
Expect the Lakers to return the favor on Tuesday night. Los Angeles has to hold serve to avoid a 0-2 start in this best-of-seven series, and I expect the No. 3 seed to come out and win this contest convincingly and easily cover the spread.
