LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers find themselves near the bottom of a surprising hill. They're down 3-1 to Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, with a win-or-go-home Wednesday night tilt on the docket at Crypto.com Arena (10:00 p.m. ET).
The Sporting News has you covered with all things online sports betting, so naturally, we have you covered with the latest odds, best bets and top props for this all-important Game 5.
Let's get right to it. Here's our betting prediction for Lakers vs. Wolves in Los Angeles this evening, including our final score prediction and full list of moneyline, spread, over/under and prop picks.
Lakers vs. Wolves: Spread, moneyline, over/under for Game 5
All odds and props are from BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA.
- ATS: Lakers -5.5 (-110) | Wolves +5.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Lakers -225 | Wolves +185
- Over/under: O 209.5 (-110) | U 209.5 (-110)
Sportsbooks clearly like the Lakers to show up for this one, likely expecting LeBron and Luka to be pissed off and ready to hold court. At -225, Los Angeles has a nearly 70-percent implied win probability.
L.A. winning is certainly not that far-fetched of a concept. The loser from the previous game bounced back with a W in Games 2 and 3 of this series, and the Lakers are 32-11 at home since the start of the 2024-25 season.
Lakers vs. Wolves Game 5 best bets and final score prediction
LeBron and Luka have both won more elimination games than they've lost throughout their postseason careers, with combined win-loss records of 19-16 when facing the axe. And, among players who have faced more than four elimination games, they have the two highest scoring averages in win-or-go-home settings (LeBron: 33.5 PPG; Luka: 33.4 PPG). The guys rounding out that top-five list: Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kevin Durant. Pretty good company.
Translation: these guys won't go out quietly. We won't be seeing any beatdown of a closeout like we saw the Cavs deliver in Miami on Monday. Los Angeles has a .744 winning percentage at home this season — 14-5 with Luka in uniform — and LeBron is 112-36 in playoff home games across his 21-year NBA tenure. These Lakers are going to bring it, and we like them to at least force a Game 6 in Minnesota.
J.J. Redick also has a lot on the line. The first-year coach made zero substitutions in the second half of Game 4, and the Lakers' +10 at the start of the fourth quarter turned into a -3 at the final buzzer. Watch for Redick to do things a little differently in Game 5, letting Luka and LeBron get some quick recovery minutes here and there so L.A. can keep up the pace and maintain an edge on Minnesota.
The Timberwolves also struggle at times to find consistency on the road. Ant-man is pretty solid regardless of venue, but the Wolves' six other core-rotation players averaged 7.6 fewer points per road game this season than they did at home. Chris Finch's squad also put up just 85 points the last time they played in Los Angeles (Game 2 last Tuesday). That's a stark contrast to the 116 the Wolves put up in Minneapolis in each of the past two games.
We saw Los Angeles play genuinely solid defense most of Game 2, similar to how this team played defensively when Luka first arrived in Hollywood. As long as Redick's squad plays even satisfactory D on Tuesday — with Bron and Luka likely keeping their feet on the proverbial gas offensively the whole game — we would be shocked if this series doesn't get extended at least one more game.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Lakers 105, Wolves 100 — The Lakers win (-225) but the Wolves eke out the cover (+5.5) and the score goes UNDER the projected total of 209.5.
Lakers vs. Wolves Game 5 top player prop bet
The *Bright Lights, Stars Shine* mini-parlay (+120)
— LeBron James 25+ points
— Luka Doncic 25+ points
We're getting +120 on two superstars to show up to an elimination game at home...umm, yeah — sign us up! As we already mentioned, these guys have averaged 33.5 and 33.4 points per game in must-win playoff games throughout their careers, and they'll both need to come up big to extend this series.
Luka had 38 in Game 4 and Bron had 27 — both should easily reach 25 again this time around. Win or lose, they're either shooting their way to Game 6 or going out swinging on their way to Cancun. You already know which way we're leaning. Bring us more action!
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >