Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Dec. 21, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Nationally televised NBA coverage will conclude on Tuesday night with a heavyweight Western Conference playoff rematch between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Coverage begins from Staples Center at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

Score Prediction

Suns 116, Lakers 104

Best Bets

Suns -6 (-110) at WynnBet

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Predictions

After finishing second in the West with a record of 51-21 last year, Phoenix stumbled out to a surprisingly slow start to this season, as the Suns opened with losses in three of their first four games – despite being favored in all but one of those affairs.

Phoenix has been nearly perfect since starting 1-3 though, considering the Suns enter Tuesday’s contest following riding an impressive 23-2 SU and 15-10 ATS run – with their only SU losses across that timeframe coming in tough road matchups against the Warriors and Clippers.

On the other hand, Los Angeles posted an incredibly underwhelming start following the groundbreaking acquisition of Russell Westbrook, as the Lakers kicked things off with a pedestrian 8-9 SU run – despite being favored in over half of those matchups (10).

The Lakers have slightly ramped things up across their most recent stretch though, considering Los Angeles enters Tuesday’s contest 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS across the last ten games – which includes SU victories against a relatively unimpressive group of opponents in the Pistons, Kings, Celtics, Thunder, Magic, and a Luka Doncic-less Mavs’ squad.

I’ll lay the points with Phoenix here, as the Lakers are just 9-8 SU and 7-10 ATS across the last seven games, with six of those SU losses coming by six points or more – while the Suns have won 23 of their last 25 games, with 16 of those victories coming by six points or more.

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds

• Suns -240
• Lakers +200
• Suns -6 (-110)
• Lakers +6 (-110)
• OU 218.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Resources

• Matchup: Southwest vs. Pacific
• Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
• Venue: STAPLES Center
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• TV-Time: TNT - 10:00 p.m. ET

• Injury Report

Phoenix Suns Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 24-5
• ATS: 16-13
• O/U: 12-16-1

After battling for the conference crown all the way through the final calendar day of last year’s regular season, it was surprising to see Phoenix struggle out of the gate to start the year, as the Suns posted losses to the Nuggets, Blazers, and Kings across the first week of the season.

Phoenix clearly just needed a few games to knock the rust off though, considering the Suns enter Tuesday’s contest following wins in 23 of the last 25 games, which is a product of an incredibly well-balanced attack, as their offense ranks third in scoring and fourth in three-point percentage (111.9 PPG, 36.8%) – while their defense ranks third in both defensive efficiency and opponent floor percentage (1.012 DEF, 46.4% FG).

Los Angeles Lakers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 16-15
• ATS: 12-19
• O/U: 15-15-1

Regardless of the circumstances, hovering just one game above .500 is still considered a tragedy for this new-look Lakers’ squad, but to be fair, they’ve been banged up from the start this season, so it’s tough to write them off completely, highlighted by LeBron participating in just 19 games so far.

The Lakers still tread at seventh in the West with a record of 16-15 though, with the Timberwolves (15-15) and Mavericks (14-15) closely nipping at their heels – so L. A. desperately needs to continue elevating its level of play in order to avoid the dreaded Play-In Tournament.

(AP) The Suns are 4-1 ATS in their last five matchups against the Lakers.

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Head-to-Head

Phoenix won two-of-three regular-season matchups against the Lakers last year, with the first two matchups staying under the total for Tuesday’s affair at an average of 211.5 PPG – while the third went over with a score of 123-110.

The latest matchup between these teams took place in October of this year though, which resulted in a double-digit victory for the Suns, as Anthony Davis, Westbrook, and LeBron combined for just 62 PTS on 39.2% FG on the way to a 115-105 loss.

These teams also met up in the first round of last year’s playoffs, which resulted in a relatively non-competitive six-game series victory for the Suns – but that was before L. A.’s offseason acquisition of Westbrook.

Key Players to Watch

• PHO: Devin Booker - SG (22.9 PPG, 5 REB, 4.5 AST)
• PHO: DeAndre Ayton - C (16.8 PPG, 61.7% FG, 11.3 REB)
• LAL: LeBron James - SF (25.9 PPG, 6.6 REB, 6.8 AST)
• LAL: Russell Westbrook - PG (19.5 PPG, 7.7 REB, 8.3 AST)

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Conclusion

After losing back-to-back games to Minnesota and Chicago, the Lakers enter Tuesday’s contest as six-point home underdogs against the visiting Suns – marking the heftiest underdog tag given to L. A. at home this season.

I’ll lay the points with Phoenix here, as AD is a critical part of L. A.’s game plan at both ends of the floor, averaging 23.3 PTS, 9.9 REB, 2.1 BLK, and 1.2 STL – and the Lakers will likely struggle without him in a matchup against a top tier opponent in the Suns on Tuesday night.

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Trends

• The Suns are 4-1 ATS across the last five games.
• The total has gone UNDER in six of the last seven Lakers' games.
• The Suns are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games against the Lakers.
• The total has gone UNDER in eight of the last 11 matchups between the Suns and Lakers at Staples Center.

VegasInsider Staff

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