Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers DFS Start ’em. Sit ’em April 19, 2025

Luca Doncic gave the Lakers the list they needed after the midseason trade. He allows Los Angeles to give LeBron James a break and still have a star scorer on the floor. That earned Los Angeles the No. 3 seed and a matchup with Minnesota, which went from the play-in to the No.6 seed when the Clippers beat Golden State on the last day of the season.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Start ’em

Anthony Edwards ($8,700 DraftKings)

The shooting guard leads Minnesota with 27.6 points per game. He has averaged 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists against the Lakers in his career. Edwards is the key to the Timberwolves winning the series. LeBron James will tire out chasing Edwards if the series runs long. Doncic is not exactly Draymond Green on defense, so look for the young star to score early and often, whether Minnesota wins or not.

Rudy Gobert ($6,700 DraftKings)

The big man shoots 66.9% from the field this year, and without Anthony Davis, he could cause the Lakers fits. Gobert has averaged 14.6 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in his last five games against the Lakers. The four-time Defensive Player was injured at the All-Star break. However, since his return in early March, the 32-year-old has made a much more consistent impact on both ends of the floor while helping the Wolves finish strong with 17 wins in their last 21 games.

Luka Doncic ($10,800 DraftKings)

The former Dallas Mavericks star has averaged 23.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in 18 games against the Timberwolves in his career. Doncic led the Mavericks past the Timberwolves in last season’s Western Conference Finals, averaging 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He also hit 23 three-pointers. He led the NBA playoffs in points, rebounds, and assists. His 28.9 points per game in the playoffs were actually his lowest postseason output in four trips.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Sit ’em

Rui Hachimura ($4,500 DraftKings)

The Lakers’ talent drops off quickly. Hachimura has averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 15 games against the Timberwolves in his career, but he has been dealing with a sore knee and may not be at his best.

Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,200 DraftKings)

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Lock

Julius Randle ($7,100 DraftKings)

He has averaged 23.9 points vs. the Lakers in his career, and he is expected to spark a fast-break offense to hopefully slow down James. Golden State defender supreme Draymond Green believes that Randle is the X-Factor in the series and will have big games.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers Fade

LeBron James ($9,700 DraftKings)

The 40-year-old has averaged 24.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 20 games in his last 20 games vs. the Timberwolves. This may be the one season James has a chance to win with Doncic, as the Lakers’ roster will soon start molding around the 25-year-old. While James scored 33 points in the final meeting with Minnesota, he was not sharp in either of his other showdowns with Minnesota (he missed one game to injury).

He will have a good series overall, but the Lakers’ veteran forward has had some of the worst performances of his career in Minnesota, including this season when LA lost both of their away games against the Timberwolves 109-80 on December 2 and 97-87 on December 13.