Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
The Suns and Lakers will meet on Sunday night in a game that has a heavy impact on seeding. L.A. is hanging by a thread, trying to avoid the play-on at all costs. The odds are not in their favor right now as the losses have piled up while Portland and Dallas have won all their games at the same time. This is a must-win scenario, without a doubt for the Lakers.
Phoenix has been incredible all year and remains airtight with the Jazz for the top record in the West. Their battle throughout the season has overshadowed anything good done by other teams in a pretty loaded conference. It has been great to finally see some change at the top, LeBron and company not having their way with how things shakedown before the playoffs get going.
L.A. has been all about losing and dysfunction of late. Andre Drummond is looking horrible. The team benched Montrezl Harrell for Marc Gasol in the last game, and the bench rotation looks pretty bad. Dennis Schroder being out along with LeBron means that Alex Caruso is the primary ball-handler and playmaker. With all due respect, that is not what his game is predicated on. Things are a bit in shambles right now.
Odds: The spread for Sunday’s late-night matchup is Phoenix -6. The over/under is set at 214.5 points.
Suns Seek Win No. 49
It has been a wonderful year for the Suns. That has been far from the truth ever since Devin Booker came into the league. To see them winning again is not only good for fans of the team but of change in the NBA. The Suns have been losers for over a decade, with the one other winning season somehow failing to land them a spot in the playoffs.
The 48-34 team with Bledsoe and Dragic under Jeff Hornacek did a lot of winning, but it was the one year where 49 wins were the number needed for the playoffs. MVP candidate Chris Paul and Booker have guided this team to new highs in 2020-21. DeAndre Ayton and Mikal Bridges have also really grown into their roles.
This team is just so much fun to watch.
Lakers Look to Stay Afloat
The play-in is beckoning for the Lakers right now. Portland dominated the Spurs on Saturday night, while Dallas was able to beat the Cavs on Friday. And they will meet again in Cleveland for a rematch, likely resulting in another victory for the Mavericks. L.A.’s loss to Portland on Friday night might have been the very loss that pushed things to the brink.
Drummond is playing horrible basketball. The team has no sort of flow. AD was limited to nine minutes two games back before recovering to dominate. A win is absolutely needed if the Lakers have any outside chance at pulling into the normal playoff field.
The odds aren’t in their favor.
Lakers Lose
The Suns will claim the win at home. They’ve got just too much talent to fall short. This will mark win number 49.
SPREAD PLAY: PHX -6
OVER/UNDER: OVER 214.5
