The Lakers just finished a long homestand. In their previous two road outings, they lost by 39 at Houston and by 28 at Denver. The mystifying T-Wolves snapped a six-game skid with a thrilling win at Indiana on Tuesday, and should roll here. Look for Minnesota to cover for the fifth time in its last six home games.

My projection model computes about 214 points combined between the Timberwolves and Lakers on Thursday, sending this one Under the posted total. These clubs combined for 249 points when they met a week ago, but Minnesota is a better defensive team at home, holding its last three opponents to an average of 102 points. The Lakers have averaged just 100.5 points in their last two road contests. Play the Under.