Wednesday features a battle in the West as the Phoenix Suns (38-33, 4th in the West) take on the Los Angeles Lakers (35-37, 11th in the West). The Lakers will host this one at Crypto.com Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 10:00 pm ET.
The Suns are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -130 to win, while the Lakers’ moneyline sits at +110. The spread features Los Angeles as 2-point underdogs (-112).
Shorthanded Suns Try To Improve Road Record
While Devin Booker is good to go, the Suns might be short-handed in this one. Kevin Durant is still out with his ankle injury, while Deandre Ayton is questionable with a hip injury. Regardless, the Suns will still try to pick up the win on the road, where they are 15-21 this season.
The Suns are also trying to bounce back from a 124-120 road loss to the Thunder in their last game on Sunday. In their last 10 games, they are just 5-5.
Offensively, Phoenix ranks 19th overall, averaging 113.4 points per game. They are led by Booker, who is averaging 28 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.
On the defensive end, the Suns are much better. They rank fourth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of just 111.6 points per game.
Lakers Fighting For Playoff Positioning
With the top 10 teams eligible for the postseason via the play-in games, the Lakers still have a chance to make this year’s playoffs. Despite sitting in 11th in the West, they sit just a half game behind the Jazz. To get in, though, they are going to have to play much better at home, where they are 19-17 on the year.
The Lakers rank 21st this season in scoring defense. When playing at home, they are allowing opponents 113.9 points per game.
On offense, the Lakers rank in the top-10 at eighth overall. They are averaging 116.4 points per game, although they have averaged just 110.3 points per game over their last three contests.
With LeBron James out with a foot injury, it is forward Anthony Davis leading the offensive charge. In 46 games, he is averaging 25.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game.
Other contributors include D’Angelo Russell (17.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds) and Dennis Schroder (12.7 points, 4.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds).
Take The Lakers And The Points
The Suns have struggled a bit as of late. They are 1-4 straight up and 0-5 against the spread in their last five games. With that being said, they are 9-0 straight up and 8-1 against the spread in their last nine against the Lakers.
For Los Angeles, they are 1-4 against the spread in their last five. In their last 20 games versus Pacific Division opponents, the Lakers are just 5-15.
This is a tough one to call. Both teams are missing superstars as Durant and James sit this one out. One of the keys might be Deandre Ayton. If he can’t go, Anthony Davis might be too much for Phoenix to handle.
Obviously keep an eye on active and inactive prior to the game, but this seems like a good game to take the Lakers and the +2 points (-112) playing at home.
