NBA: Phoenix Suns vs. LA Lakers Preview, Odds, Prediction

Each time the Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers meet, things become intense and heavy. Even though some won’t admit it, there is a bit of a rivalry between Devin Booker and LeBron, and the youngster isn’t impressed with LBJ, nor does he has too much respect towards him. And that’s kinda annoying for the King, but on the other side, super interesting for us fans. Lakers are hosting the Suns pretty banged up, without AD, who will be out for some time. 

Preview

Phoenix Suns (24-5, -270) come to LA with three wins in a row, looking very well. And how wouldn’t they be, with 24 triumphs in 29 events, holding the top spot in the league right now? They are slightly better than the Warriors, which gives them an edge at the moment. 

The Suns beat the Trail Blazers, the Wizards, and the Hornets in their latest three matchups. The most recent at home against Charlotte ended convincingly in their favor, 137-106. By the way, the Suns are the second-best offense in league with 111.9 points per game. Also, all of their shooting percentages are among the top 3.

They had nine players with 10 or more points, but none with 20+. JaVale McGee scored 19 with seven buckets. Bridges and Booker had 16 each. Ayton grabbed 15 boards and had the same number of buckets. Phoenix recorded 20 threes. 

LA Lakers (16-15, +210) played their last three games on the road. They would win in Dallas but then lose the next two events, one in Minnesota and the latest one in Chicago against the Bulls. DeMar DeRozan blew them away in that contest, dropping 38 points and trashing the purple and gold in the final period. 

The final result of the event at United Center was 115-110 for the hosts. It was a pretty close call, which could have ended either way. LeBron had 31 points with 14 boards and six assists, while Westbrook scored 20 with nine boards and eight assists. Melo had a nice night dropping 21 off the bench, five threes along the way. 

The Lakers will be without numerous players in tonight’s event. Davis is out due to his knee injury. Kendrick Nunn has the same problem, while Trevor Ariza and LBJ are questionable. Though, we think that James wil likely play. Bradley, Bazemore, Horton-Tucker, Howard, Monk, and Reaves are all in health and safety protocol. 

Head to Head 

These teams have met already once this year. The game took place in LA, and the Suns won 115-105. Chris Paul had 23 points and 14 boards, Booker 22 and Bridges 21 for the guests. LeBron scored 25 for the hosts, AD 22 with 14 rebounds, and Westbrook 15 with 11 rebounds and nine assists. 

Prediction

With so many absent players, the Lakers’ chances of winning far weaker opponents than the Suns would be pretty low. In order to defeat the West champs, the purple and gold have to have all three superstars at the highest possible level of play, and since AD isn’t playing, success for LAL in this one will be just a dream. The spread on the guests is -6.5, and we expect to see them covering it. They are in too good form to struggle with the banged-up rivals. 

Pick: Suns -6.5

Here is the preview for the game between the Timberwolves and the Mavericks.