Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction and Betting Odds

The Suns are in a bit of a pickle right now having lost 3 of their last 4 games as they face a team that’s already beaten them 5 times in a row. Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker haven’t exactly meshed together as we thought they would, primarily due to injuries. Phoenix heads into LA as a 1.5-point underdog, that’s understandable considering all 3 meetings this season have gone LA’s way. They’ve not had the best of times playing at Crypto.com Arena either, winning just once in their last 5 visits. If there is one thing they have the edge over here, it’s health. Aside from Damion Lee, who isn’t exactly a big part of their team, the Sun have the whole roster at their disposal so I think brighter days are definitely ahead for them.

It was a controversial ending to the Lakers 132-131 win over Toronto on Tuesday. Toronto’s head coach Darko Rajakovic went after the refs in his press conference following the game, the Lakers took 36 free throws compared to just 13 of the Raptors. Controversy aside, Anthony Davis played a really good game scoring 41 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, LeBron James also chipped in 22 and 12 assists. All 5 starters for LA scored in double-figures, that must have felt good after a run of just 3 wins in 13 games. Despite winning back-to-back games, the Lakers haven’t been as consistent against the spread lately, covering just once in their last 5 outings. They are just 2-point favorites here, in home games this season they’re just 9-11 ATS.

It's hard to imagine a Kevin Durant led team losing 4 games in a row against the same opponent in the same season. Phoenix’s struggles are because of their poor shooting, with LA ranking only 17th in defensive rating in their last 10 games, I feel like they’ll be able to turn things around here. I’m going with the road team to win outright here.

We don’t expect a lot of defense to be played here, primarily because that’s just how recent Lakers games have gone. The over has cashed 11 times in their last 15 outings, including 7 times in their last 9 against teams from the Western Conference. Phoenix also loves a high scoring game, they are 21-16 on the O/U for the season, they too have cashed on the over 4 times in their last 5 games vs Western Conference opponents. Defense has been a problem for them lately with 3 of their last 4 opponents putting up at least 120+ points. I don’t think they’ll have an answer for Anthony Davis here, but with a trio of KD, Beal and Booker all playing they should have enough to outscore their opponent here. Since the over has cashed 4 times in the last 6 meetings, I would recommend backing that bet once again here.

Phoenix Suns ML is available at +101 odds at time of publishing.

Over 235.5 Total Points is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.