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Do the Minnesota Timberwolves have a puncher’s chance against LeBron James and his Lakers tonight?

Unlikely.

Were LBJ and his teammates pleased as punch watching the T-Wolves self-destruct this past weekend?

Definitely.

Is Minnesota more of a punchline than a serious playoff contender now?

Absolutely.

In case you missed the news, the Minnesota Timberwolves punched themselves in the face – metaphorically speaking – by punching a wall and then throwing fists at each other.

After picking up his second foul of the opening quarter, T-Wolves top defender Jaden McDaniels punched a wall while going to the locker room in Sunday’s game.

McDaniels fractured his hand in the process and is expected to miss the entire playoffs.

There have been no reports on what the wall said to McDaniels as he was walking by and if the punch was justified.

A few minutes later, Rudy Gobert punched his teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout.

We now know what Anderson said to Gobert before the big man threw the punch.

The lesson learned is to always lead with a compliment before calling out your teammate in front of a large group – Especially a teammate as big and unpredictable as Rudy G.

School Is In

Without Gobert and McDaniels in the lineup, bettors will be all over LeBron, Anthony Davis and other Lakers to crush some prop totals tonight.

But with LBJ’s points total set at +28.5, the sportsbooks may have already beaten us to the punch – pun totally intended.

Let’s explain.

Over his last five games, King James has gone OVER +28.5 points three times. That is good for those who are leaning towards the Over.

However, the bar graph paints a different picture when we look at his last 15 games.

In his last 15 games, LeBron has gone over +28.5 points just four times.

This would suggest that the Over is definitely not a lock, even without Gobert and McDaniels dressed for Minnesota.

Timing Is Everything

The last thing we will leave you with is tonight’s point spread.

One hour after the T-Wolves finished playing their game on Sunday, DraftKings had tonight’s game at LAL -6.5 points.

However, public money is pushing that number higher and higher.

As of 2pm ET today, the line was a full two points different than it was on Sunday.

The Lakers are now -8.5 favorites tonight, and that total might continue to climb as tip-off approaches.

A big spread always means the possibility of a blowout.

A blowout means the potential of reduced minutes for starters, including King James.

Do the Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance tonight against the LA Lakers?

Anything is possible in sports, and we know that Minnesota should come out punching.

However, I’m all in on the Lakers winning this game.

My unit will be on LBJ to go UNDER +28.5 points, with King James getting to rest a lot of the 4th QTR.

Best of luck with all your NBA playoff picks and parlays.