The Los Angeles Lakers invade the Mortgage Matchup Center to battle the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Here’s a Suns vs. Lakers prediction. This article will include a Suns vs. Lakers pick.
Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
The Los Angeles Lakers have been in a rut as they’ve lost four of their last six games overall and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after falling painfully short to the Magic in a 110-109 loss on Tuesday. Luka Doncic led the team with 22 points, nine rebounds, and 15 assists; LeBron James and Deandre Ayton each scored 21 points, while Austin Reaves chipped in with 18 points. As a team, the Lakers shot 48 percent from the field and nine of 29 from the 3-point line as they set the tone with 33 points in the first quarter to lead for most of the game, but when the game went into crunch time, it was the Magic’s Desmond Bane who nailed the clutch 3-pointer with just 35.4 seconds left on the clock.
Phoenix Suns Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns have been in a slump as they’ve lost six of their last eight games overall, but they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting trounced by the Celtics in a 97-81 home defeat on Tuesday. Collin Gillespie led the team in scoring with just 15 points, Grayson Allen added 14 points on two of 12 shooting off the bench, and Jalen Green chipped in with 13 points. As a team, the Suns shot just 37 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they did a decent job of staying within striking distance in a slow first half, but that didn’t matter in the third quarter, where the Suns got outscored by 30-11 to fall behind by as many as 28 points. The Suns were hoping to bounce back after scoring just 77 points in their last outing, but they amassed just 81 points in this one, which is far from their usual standards.
Why the Phoenix Suns will win
- The Lakers have lost five of their last six games as road favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Suns have won four of their last five games as home underdogs against the Lakers following a loss.
- The Lakers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last eight Thursday games against Pacific Division opponents that held a winning record.
- The Suns have covered the spread in each of their last four games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
Why the Los Angeles Lakers will win
- The Suns have lost each of their last five night games against teams that held winning records.
- The favorites have won each of the Suns’ last six games.
- The Suns have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Lakers have covered the spread in seven of their last eight games as road favorites following a loss.
Total Points: Facts
- Each of the Lakers’ last six games against the Suns following a home loss has gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of the Suns’ last seven Thursday games has gone UNDER the total points line.
Phoenix Suns Player Facts
- Mark Williams ranks 4th amongst qualified players for FG% (64.0) this season.
- Grayson Allen ranks 6th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made per 36 minutes (3.9) this season.
Los Angeles Lakers Player Facts
- Luka Dončić ranks 1st amongst qualified players for points per game (32.5) this season.
- Deandre Ayton is the only player to have made 10+ field goals without a miss in a game this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Suns rank 1st in the league for opponent three-point percentage this season (34.2%).
- The Suns have suffered the largest comeback loss when leading through Q3 this season—led by 18 points vs. the Hawks on November 16.
- The Lakers rank 1st in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (3.6).
- The Lakers rank 1st in the league for field goal percentage this season (49.8%).
Suns vs Lakers Prediction
The Lakers are keeping an eye on Rui Hachimura, who is questionable due to an illness, while the Suns have ruled out Jordan Goodwin, Devin Booker, Cole Anthony, and Dillon Brooks. These teams have already met three times this season with the Suns leading the series by 2-1. The Lakers enter this meeting as the healthier team, as they could be at full health if Hachimura suits up and even though they are still working through the kinks of their offense, they should still be able to score enough against this Suns team, who are ice-cold right now. I’m not loving what I’m seeing from LA right now, but they should still be good enough to overcome the Suns in this one.