Phoenix Suns (52-22) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (44-31)
May 27, 2021 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Lakers -7; Over/Under: -212.5
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The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers meet Thursday in game three of the NBA West Playoffs at the Staples Center.
The Phoenix Suns look for a bounce back showing to take a surprising 2-1 series lead. The Phoenix Suns are averaging 100.5 points on 46.5 percent shooting and allowing 99.5 points on 44.2 percent shooting. Devin Booker is averaging 32.5 points and 5.5 assists while Deandre Ayton is averaging 21.5 points and 13 rebounds. Cameron Payne is the third double-digit scorer and Cameron Johnson is grabbing 4.5 rebounds. The Phoenix Suns are shooting 31.5 percent from beyond the arc and 90.5 percent from the free throw line. The Phoenix Suns are allowing 28.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 39 rebounds per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers look for back-to-back wins to take a 2-1 series lead. The Los Angeles Lakers are averaging 99.5 points on 44.2 percent shooting and allowing 100.5 points on 46.5 percent shooting. Anthony Davis is averaging 23.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while LeBron James is averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 assists. Dennis Schroder is the third double-digit scorer and Andre Drummond is grabbing 10.5 rebounds. The Los Angeles Lakers are shooting 28.8 percent from beyond the arc and 74.6 percent from the free throw line. The Los Angeles Lakers are allowing 31.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 36 rebounds per game.
The Suns are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Lakers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games and 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 games overall. The over is 21-7-1 in Suns last 29 overall. The over is 3-0-1 in Lakers last 4 Thursday games. The Suns are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Lakers found their rhythm in game two and you have to like their chances to take control of this series if they continue to go big and dominate the glass. The Phoenix Suns are a young team now having to win a game on the road in the playoffs. It also doesn’t help that Chris Paul is clearly dealing with shoulder issues and isn’t all that effective when on the court. It feels like things are falling apart for the Suns. However, this is a Suns team that’s 43-29-2 against the spread on the season and has only been an underdog of five or more points once this season. Banged up CP3 or not, the Suns can play basketball at a high level. Lakers probably win, but the value is with the points.
