The 2024-25 NBA season tips off on Tuesday night with a pair of marquee matchups including a showdown between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers. Minnesota won 56 games last season but decided to shake things up by trading away Karl-Anthony Towns while L.A. is coming off a disappointing campaign but is running it back with essentially the same lineup.
My favorite Timberwolves vs. Lakers player props for this game focus on Julius Randle's role with his new team while betting on D'Angelo Russell to continue underperforming in big games.
Read on for more NBA picks for October 22, and be sure to check out Douglas Farmer's full Timberwolves vs. Lakers predictions!
Best Timberwolves vs Lakers props today
Julius Randle o4.5 assists (+126 at FanDuel)- Rudy Gobert o1.5 blocks (+115 at BetMGM)
D'Angelo Russell u16.5 points (-125 at DraftKings)
Picks made on 10-22
Timberwolves vs Lakers player props for October 22
Prop bet #1: Julius Randle Over 4.5 assists
The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo earlier this month. Randle isn't the lights-out shooter that Towns is but he has underrated ball-handling ability and is a far better passer. The power forward does an excellent job of finding the open man when defenses collapse on him and he should thrive alongside Anthony Edwards.
Last season, Randle averaged 5.0 assists per game with his potential assists per game sitting at a whopping 9.0. He also flashed that passing ability in his preseason debut with the T-Wolves, scoring 15 points and adding five assists in just 26 minutes.
Prop bet #2: Rudy Gobert Over 1.5 blocks
Spacing was an issue for L.A. last year with the Lakers ranking second-last in the league in three-point rate. They also played at a fast pace which resulted in them averaging 32.0 field-goal attempts per game from within five feet of the basket — the fifth-highest number in the league.
With virtually the exact same lineup as last season, the Lakers should continue to attack the rim which will lead to plenty of shot-blocking opportunities for Rudy Gobert. Gobert claimed his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award last season after averaging 2.1 blocks per game.
The "Stifle Tower" sees his playing time tick down against teams that roll with small-ball lineups but that won't be the case against the Lakers. With Minnesota's perimeter defenders taking away outside looks, expect the Lakers to force the ball inside where Gobert will contest shots.
Prop bet #3: D'Angelo Russell Under 16.5 points
D'Angelo Russell averaged 18.0 ppg during the regular season but that was buoyed by him averaging 21.7 ppg in 11 games where LeBron James sat out.
Russell typically sees his offensive role shrink when he's playing alongside LeBron which we saw in the playoffs when he averaged just 14.2 ppg on 38.4% shooting versus the Nuggets. With Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura continuing to show improvement and a healthy Gabe Vincent in the backcourt, Russell's scoring could drop off this season.
It won't help that he's facing a Timberwolves side that allowed a league-low 106.5 ppg last season. The T-Wolves defend extremely well on the perimeter with Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards which resulted in them holding foes to just 11.4 threes per game.
That's bad news for Russell who takes more than half of his shots from long range. Russell averaged just 12.5 ppg on 33/26/82 shooting splits in four games against Minnesota last season and I'm betting on him to continue struggling against his former team.
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