The Los Angeles Lakers will raise the curtain on their 2024-25 NBA season with a meeting against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.
Both teams will be looking to improve upon their playoff runs last time out as the Lakers bowed out to the Denver Nuggets in the first round, while the Timberwolves suffered a Western Conference final defeat to the Dallas Mavericks.
Match preview
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The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their preparations for the new NBA season with a 132-74 defeat against the Golden State Warriors in their final pre-season encounter at the Chase Center on Saturday.
Following a thrilling 128-122 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns 24 hours earlier, JJ Redick opted to rest all five starters for his side's last warm-up fixture, with the likes of Bronny James getting extended minutes in the blowout defeat.
Fresh from watching fellow draft pick Dalton Knecht steal the show against the Suns, Bronny tallied 17 points on 7-17 shooting in his 35 minutes on the court last time out to take his tally of pre-season points to 25.
Having endured a topsy-turvy pre-season campaign that yielded four defeats and two wins from six outings, Lakers head coach Redick now prepares for his first taste of regular-season action, having been tasked with leading the franchise back to the pinnacle of American basketball.
An opening-day clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves is sure to pose a stern test for the Lakers, who have been beaten in four of the last five meetings between the teams—most recently in a pre-season matchup two weeks ago.
In what is set to be one of the final years of LeBron James in the league, the 39-year-old will be seeking a fifth championship ring to move him clear of the likes of Steph Curry and Draymond Green in terms of titles won by active players.
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After kicking off pre-season with consecutive wins against the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves have since lost each of their subsequent three clashes heading into Wednesday's action.
Chris Finch's men suffered a 132-126 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Target Center on Friday in a rematch of last season's second-round meeting in the Western Conference playoffs, which needed seven games to be settled.
Like the Lakers, the Timberwolves also opted to rest their starting five last time out with exciting draft pick Rob Dillingham handed a rare start, and he posted 15 points (3-6 shooting from beyond the arc) and seven assists to show a glimpse of what to expect.
Off the back of a largely unexpected run to the conference finals, the Timberwolves have announced themselves as major contenders in the West and will be targeting another deep run into the playoffs.
Now without the services of Karl-Anthony Towns, who was recently traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, Keita Bates-Diop and a first-round pick, the Timberwolves have shaken things up a bit to the surprise of many.
In the first of consecutive games on the road to begin the new campaign, the Timberwolves will be keen to start as they mean to go on before visiting the Golden 1 Center on Friday to face off against the Sacramento Kings.
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Team News
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Off the back of his impressive performance last time out, the Lakers have signed undrafted guard Quincy Olivari, who was formerly on an Exhibit 10 training camp contract, to a two-way deal ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Armel Traore (hand) and Christian Koloko (illness) are unavailable for Wednesday's season opener, but there is cautious optimism that both men will be back in time to suit up.
Dalton Knecht missed his side's pre-season finale due to a knee injury, while Rui Hachimura was absent with a calf problem, although he would not have featured anyway.
The Timberwolves have a relatively clean bill of health heading into this one, with Naz Reid the only significant injury concern at the moment as he continues to deal with a shoulder impingement.
Having racked up 109 points across his last four regular-season matches against the Lakers, shooting guard Anthony Edwards will be looking to put on a show once again.
Los Angeles Lakers possible starting five:
Russell, Reaves; James, Hachimura; Davis
Minnesota Timberwolves possible starting five:
Conley, Edwards; McDaniels, Randle; Gobert
We say: Timberwolves to win by 4+ points
Both teams have the opportunity to lay down an early marker in Wednesday's contest, and we are expecting a thrilling battle with neither side holding back.
That said, we are backing the Timberwolves to fork out a hard-fought victory and continue their recent dominance against the Lakers.
