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

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Nationally televised NBA action will conclude on Sunday night with a compelling Western Conference showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. Coverage begins from Footprint Center at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Score Prediction

Suns 118, Lakers 114

Best Bets

Over 230 (-110) at Caesars

Lakers vs. Suns Predictions

After finishing second in the West with a record of 51-21 SU, Phoenix kept that same train rolling with a similarly triumphant start to the season, as the Suns opened with an impressive 27-8 SU and 18-17 ATS run – with 18 of those victories coming by 10+ PTS.

Despite the absence of Chris Paul, the Suns have sustained that same momentum all the way through the middle of March too, considering the Suns boast records of 26-6 SU and 17-15 ATS across their last 32 games – while tallying 115.7 OPPG and allowing just 107.1 DPPG during that timeframe.

On the other hand, the Lakers stumbled out to a frustrating start to the season, as Los Angeles kicked things off with a lackluster 10-11 SU and 7-14 ATS stretch – which was primarily chalked up to growing pains associated with the offseason acquisition of Russell Westbrook.

The Lakers have maintained a similarly deficient pace since that point though, considering Los Angeles enters Sunday riding a head-scratching 18-26 SU and 20-24 ATS skid – despite getting tagged as favorites in 26 of those matchups.

I’ll back Phoenix here, as the Lakers are surrendering an average of 117.2 DPPG across their latest 3-9 SU skid, which includes head-scratching SU losses to the Rockets, Blazers, Pelicans, and Spurs – setting the stage for another unfavorable matchup against a Suns squad that’s scored 114+ PTS in ten of their last 15 games (116.8 OPPG).

Lakers vs. Suns Betting Odds

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Lakers vs. Suns Betting Resources

Matchup: Pacific
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2022
Venue: Footprint Center
Location: Phoenix, AZ
TV-Time: ESPN - 9:00 p.m. ET
Injury Report

Los Angeles Lakers Betting Analysis

SU: 29-37
ATS: 28-37-1
O/U: 36-29-1

Regardless of the circumstances, sitting below .500 is an undeniable disappointment for this Lakers squad, but to be fair, they’ve stumbled across several injury hurdles, so it’s tough to write them off completely, highlighted by LeBron James missing 18 games this season (18) – while Anthony Davis has missed 29, and is slated to miss at least another week.

The Lakers can still flip the script and push for higher seeding; but they need to get healthy first, and ultimately shoot the ball better, considering L. A. ranks 23^rd in offensive efficiency and 12^th in scoring (1.061 OE, 111.1 OPPG) – which doesn’t bode well for a squad that also ranks 17^th in defensive efficiency (1.080 DE).

Phoenix Suns Betting Analysis

SU: 53-14
ATS: 35-32
O/U: 33-33-1

After battling Utah for the top spot in the conference all the way through the final day of last year’s regular season (51-21 SU), Phoenix was surprisingly rusty out of the gate to start this season, as the Suns dropped three of their first four games – while scoring just 106.3 OPPG across that window.

Devin Booker and company clearly just needed a few days to settle into a rhythm though, considering the Suns boast records of 50-11 SU and 33-28 ATS since their four-game opening skid, while ranking fifth in the league in both scoring and offensive efficiency (113.6 OPPG, 1.106 OE) – and on the flipside, ranking sixth in points allowed and third in defensive efficiency (106.1 DPPG, 1.032 DE).

**The Lakers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games. (AP)**

Lakers vs. Suns Head-to-Head

Phoenix won two-of-three regular-season matchups against Los Angeles last year, with both Suns’ victories staying under the total at an average of 211.5 PPG – while the Lakers’ lone win soared over with a score of 123-110 (O 217). The Suns and Lakers also squared off in the opening round of last year’s playoffs, which resulted in a mildly competitive six-game series victory for Phoenix. The Suns and Lakers have squared off just twice this season though, which resulted in another pair of low-scoring victories for Phoenix (209 PPG).

Key Players to Watch

LAL: LeBron James - SF (29.7 PPG, 8.2 REB, 6.3 AST)
LAL: Russell Westbrook - PG (18.1 PPG, 7.6 REB, 7.2 AST)
PHX: Devin Booker - SG (25.5 PPG, 5.2 REB, 4.8 AST)
PHX: Deandre Ayton - C (16.7 PPG, 9.9 REB, 1.4 AST)

Lakers vs. Suns Betting Conclusion

After posting a double-digit home victory over the Wizards on Friday night (W, 122-109), the Lakers hit the road for Sunday’s contest as moderate underdogs against the Suns at FootPrint Center – marking the fifth time L. A. has been an underdog across their last seven games.

I’ll back Phoenix here, as the Lakers are 3-9 SU and 4-7-1 ATS in their last 12 games, while scoring just 111.7 OPPG and allowing 117.2 DPPG during that span – setting the stage for an incredibly difficult road matchup against a Suns squad that’s averaging 116.9 OPPG across their latest 11-4 SU run.

Lakers vs. Suns Betting Trends

The Lakers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games.
The Suns are 5-0 ATS in their last five matchups against the Lakers.
The total has gone OVER in four of the last five Lakers' games.
The Suns are 1-4 ATS in their last five games.
The total has gone OVER in five of the last six matchups between the Suns and Lakers.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson