The Phoenix Suns don’t have much to play for as they welcome the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night in Phoenix. The Suns, who have already clinched the No. 1 seed, lost the final two games of a road trip against the Grizzlies and Thunder.
Despite being safe with their seeding for the past few weeks, Phoenix hasn’t seen too much of a drop-off over the past ten games, improving to 8-2.
The Lakers have been a disaster. With Lebron James and Anthony Davis coming in and out of the lineup, veteran-laden Los Angeles hasn’t found much continuity in the lineup. The Lakers have lost eight of their past ten games.
The Lakers have struggled throughout the season against in-division foes, compiling a 3-11 record overall. Los Angeles will need to find a way to beat Phoenix to stay in the race for the play-in tournament.
Last games records
Los Angeles lost to Denver 129-118 on April 3. The Lakers are 31-47. Phoenix lost to Oklahoma City 117-96 on April 3. The Suns are 62-16 this year.
Matchup Information
Lakers at Suns Betting Analysis
Los Angeles Betting Analysis
What to expect from Los Angeles depends a lot on what the injury report has to say. The Lakers were missing James during their loss to the Nuggets Sunday, couldn’t protect a first-half lead, and ended up falling by double figures. Los Angeles’ defense has been struggling to keep up with their opponents all season.
The Lakers rank 27th in the league in scoring defense, allowing their opponents to pile up 114.8 points per game. Getting good shots isn’t too difficult against Los Angeles, as the Lakers rank 22nd in the league, allowing their opponents to shoot 46.9 percent from the field. Los Angeles’ offense has struggled when its two stars aren’t in the lineup.
James, who has appeared in 56 games, leads the league by averaging 30.3 points per game. James has scored 30 or more points in five straight appearances. Davis, who has only played in 39 games this season due to injury, contributes 23.2 points per game when he’s in the lineup.
Phoenix Betting Analysis
The Phoenix Suns are one win away from setting a franchise record for most regular-season victories in a season, but the Suns are much more worried about a bigger prize.
Phoenix was the runner-up in the NBA Finals and wants to get back into a position to contend for the title again. Having the top seed in the Western Conference will help, but how the Suns play the final few games of the schedule will be interesting.
The Suns will likely try to get players healthy and not want to make too many waves. Phoenix will want to get a look at players like Cam Johnson, who returned April 1 after missing a month of play. In his return, he was limited to one point against Memphis but rebounded with 14 in a loss to Oklahoma City.
Overall, Phoenix is excellent on offense up and down the lineup. The Suns rank fourth in the league by scoring 114.9 points per game. Also, the Suns shoots 48.7 percent from the floor, which ranks first in the NBA.
Updates
According to most sports betting guides, Phoenix guard Devin Booker along with center Deandre Ayton, will be out for a rest day. Jae Crowder will be out with an ankle injury. James is questionable with an ankle injury for the Lakers.
- Los Angeles is 32-45-1 against the spread.
- Phoenix is 42-36 against the spread.
- The over has a record of 44-33-1 against the total in the Lakers’ games.
- The over has a record of 40-37-1 against the total in the Suns’ games.
- Los Angeles is 23-23 against the spread following a loss.
- Phoenix is 7-8 against the spread following a loss.
Lakers at Suns Betting Preview
NBA picks on this game will be difficult to nail down with knowing James’ status for certain. If James is in the lineup, it will be a signal that the Lakers are still interested in trying to make a push for the playoffs.
Betting stats NBA show Los Angeles struggles without its superstar forward this season, posting a 6-16 record with James.
Lakers at Suns Betting Prediction
NBA betting odds change rapidly when the injury report comes out. In the last game, the Lakers were 2.5-point underdogs before it was announced James was missing their game against the Nuggets. That announcement swung the line four points. It is easy to see this happening again in Phoenix.
While the Suns aren’t going to go wild in this situation, they likely will be motivated to set their franchise wins record against a wounded rival. Even with James in the lineup, Los Angeles had a hard time playing defense. Bet Phoenix to get the win and officially eliminate the Lakers from the playoffs.
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