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It’s a Pacific Division showdown as the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns square off in the valley of the Suns on 10/24/18.
The Lakers are at the bottom of the Pacific Division team standings at 0-3. Meanwhile, the Suns hope to snap out of a two game losing skid and improve their 1-2 record.
Almost But Not Quite
The LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers are still winless after three tries. Their last game against the San Antonio Spurs last Sunday was a nail biter and it was a case of almost but not quite. The Lakers rallied from an 8 point deficit in the final minute of regulation to send the game to overtime. However, the Lakers squandered a 6 point lead in the extra period and allowed the Spurs to escape with a 143-142 win.
Kyle Kuzma pumped in 37 points for the Lakers while Lonzo Ball had 14 points and six dimes for the purple and gold. The Lakers will still be without Brandon Ingram and Rajon Rondo who are still serving their respective suspensions.For the third straight game, the Lakers fought hard and gave a playoff team all that it could handle before eventually losing in the end game.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns 10/24/18
Moneyline Odds: Lakers -142, Suns +122
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 10/23/18
Back To Back Blowout Losses
After an impressive 2018-19 NBA season debut where they beat the Dallas Mavericks 121-100, the Suns have lost back to back games via blowout. Phoenix suffered a 28 point drubbing at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in their second game and then they were drubbed by 20 points by the defending champions Golden State Warriors in their most recent game.
The Suns shot just 28.2% from the three point area against the Nuggets and an even worse 26.5% against the Dubs. But what cost them both games was probably the fastbreak points as Denver was a +24 and Golden State a +28 in that department. While they won’t worry about three point shooting against the Lakers, the Suns are in for a fight as Los Angeles leads the league with 32.3 fastbreak points per game.
Who Wins?
Los Angeles leads the all-time series 139-106. These teams have split their last 10 games but last season, the Lakers took three out of four meetings between these teams. Los Angeles has also won the last three games against the Suns in Phoenix.
The key for Los Angeles will be to stop Devin Booker and the Phoenix shooters because the Lakers’ main weakness this season is their inability to close out on three point attempts. The Suns have shot poorly from downtown in their last two games. If the Lakers hold them to the same percentages, they have a good shot.
On the other hand, the key for the Suns will be to stop the Lakers from running. The Laker love to push the ball at every opportunity and they lead the league in fastbreaks. Meanwhile, the Suns have been outscored by 26 fastbreak points per game in their two losses.
The Lakers will be without Ingram and Rondo but they proved against the Spurs that they are too deep to be affected offensively. Expect LeBron James to go harder to finally nail his first win in purple and gold. The Lakers should be too fast and too furious for the Suns here.
We’re picking the Los Angeles Lakers to beat the Phoenix Suns on 10/24/18.
Other Bets To Make
The Lakers are 0-3 ATS in their three games this season while the Suns are 1-2 ATS in their own three games played including 1-0 ATS in their only home game so far. Head to head, both teams are 5-5 ATS against each other in their last 10 encounters.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns 10/24/18
Spread Odds: Lakers -2.5 (-111), Suns +2.5 (-109)
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 10/23/18
The Lakers beat the Suns by an average of 9.33 points per game. And although one of their three wins last season was by just two points, the Lakers have improved more significantly over the Suns since they last met.
Phoenix added DeAndre Ayton, Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson during the summer. I guess we know who the Lakers added so let’s get to the point: Los Angeles has LeBron James and the Suns don’t. I expect James to come up big especially after “choking” at the Staples Center the last time out. I like the Lakers to cover the spread here.
Prediction: Lakers -2.5
The total has gone over in all of the Lakers’ 3 games this season while the under is 2-1 in the Suns’ three games this season including 1-0 in Phoenix. The over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these teams with an average combined score of 223.70.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns 10/24/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 237 -110, Under 237 -110
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 10/23/18
The Lakers’ defense has been very miserable this season as they have given up an average of 131.7 points per game. The Suns are also not defensively sound this season as they’ve allowed an average of 121 points per game in their last two games. Phoenix ranks 2nd in the league in turnovers while the Lakers lead the league in fastbreak points. Do the math.
Prediction: Over 237
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