Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, NBA Odds
The Suns travel to the coast after eking out a narrow 119-115 win over Denver on Thursday. But with fourth place in the Western Conference already locked up, the Suns enter the final weekend of the NBA regular season with nothing but pride on the line. Conversely, the Lakers remain in a heated four-way battle for fifth place in the West after seeing a four-game win streak snapped with Wednesday’s 125-118 loss to the LA Clippers.
With the Suns likely to give their big stars a night off, Phoenix arrives in Los Angeles lagging as an 8.5-point underdogs on the Friday NBA odds, and the total is pegged at 225.5.
Suns vs. Lakers NBA Betting Odds
Friday night’s matchup at Crypto.com Arena marks the fourth and final regular season meeting between these Western Conference rivals. The Lakers rolled to a 122-111 victory when they hosted the Suns back on March 22. The win snapped a six-game straight up losing streak in head-to-head action, with each of the Suns’ victories over that stretch coming by double-digit margins. Last month’s win also marked the first time the Lakers have scored 120 or more points against Phoenix in two years, with LA’s uneven scoring contributing to a 4-4 run for the UNDER in totals betting.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns endured somewhat of a letdown on Thursday after locking themselves into fourth place in the Western Conference standings with a win over Houston earlier this week. Despite giving their stars plenty of playing time against a Nuggets lineup that featured no regulars, the Suns failed to dominate, and in fact had to overcome a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter to eke out the win. Now set to play their second game in as many nights, and their fourth contest this week, expect Phoenix to drastically limit the minutes of Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker, if they see any action at all. While that is good news for the Lakers, it is important to note the recent success this team has enjoyed when playing the back half of games on consecutive nights, posting wins in four of their past five including a pair of outright victories as betting underdogs.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers could have made their lives a lot easier simply by earning the win in Wednesday’s date with the Clippers. But instead, the club enters the final weekend of the season trailing LA and Golden State by one game in the battle for the final two places above the line in the conference standings, and in need of wins to solidify their grasp on seventh place and at least assure themselves of home court in the play-in tournament. The team’s duo of wounded superstars continues to provide the spark. LeBron James is still dealing with a foot injury that has regularly landed him on the daily injury report with question marks. However, James has dominated while averaging 35 points over his past two games, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds and assists in those contests. Anthony Davis is also dealing with a foot injury that has him once again listed as questionable. And while AD has averaged just 19 points over his past two games, he remains a force under the bucket. Davis has averaged 12.8 boards over the past four games, and will be well positioned to feast on the depleted Suns lineup on Friday.
PHO
LAL