Lakers vs. Timberwolves odds, picks: Red-hot expert puts 9-0 streak on the line

Larry Hartstein has won nine straight NBA against the spread picks and 17 of his last 21

By CBS Sports Staff

Feb 15, 2018 at 5:16 pm ET • 1 min read

A pair of high-scoring Western Conference clubs meet in the late game of a prime-time doubleheader Thursday when the Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at 9 p.m. ET. The Timberwolves are listed as 10-point favorites, with the over-under for total points scored set at 226.

Before you lock in your bets, you need to see what SportsLine senior analyst Larry Hartstein has to say. The veteran NBA handicapper is in the midst of his strongest run of the season with his ATS selections. Hartstein has hit nine straight NBA selections for SportsLine as part of a 17-4 overall run. That's over 80 percent.

Now, he's locked in a must-see pick for Timberwolves vs. Lakers that you can only see over at SportsLine.

Hartstein knows these teams are both efficient at the offensive end, with the Lakers averaging 107.2 points (No. 11 in the NBA) and the Timberwolves putting up 109.6 (No. 6).

But both have shown alarming weaknesses on defense. Minnesota has allowed an average of 121.5 points in its last four games, losing three of them and failing to cover the spread in all four.

The Timberwolves are coming off a 126-108 loss to the Houston Rockets in which a three-point game at halftime eventually ended in a rout. James Harden scored 34 and Houston hit 22 three-pointers on its way to 42-28 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter.

Karl Anthony-Towns had 35 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which got 25 points and eight assists from Jeff Teague.

The Lakers have had their own share of defensive issues, as they were trounced, 139-117, by the Pelicans on Wednesday. They have allowed 269 points over their last two games to drop their scoring defense to an average of 110.1 points (No. 28 in the NBA).

Kyle Kuzma had 23 points and Brandon Ingram added 21 in the second straight loss for Los Angeles following a four-game win streak.

Hartstein knows this game comes down to a strong statistical trend that makes one side a must-back. And Galin Dragiev, who's on a 28-16 NBA run, agrees with him.