Phoenix Suns (12-8 SU, 9-11 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (12-9 SU, 9-12 ATS)

When: Tuesday, December 5th, 10:00 PM (ET)

Where: Crypto.com Arena, CA, Los Angeles

TV: TNT

Point Spread: Pho +1.5/LAL -1.5

Total: 228

Money Line: Phoenix Suns +103/-124

Notable Injuries

Suns

• Bradley Beal (Out) Lower Back
• Eric Gordon (Questionable) Knee
• Damion Lee (Out) Knee

Lakers

• Anthony Davis (Probable) Hip
• LeBron James (Questionable) Calf
• Jarred Vanderbilt (Probable) Heel
• Gabe Vincent (Out) Knee
• Rui Hachimura (Probable) Nose

Recent Form

Coming into their matchup against the Lakers, the Suns have an overall record of 12-8 and have gone 1-2 in their last three games. When playing on the road this season, the Suns are 7-3 compared to a 5-5 record at home.

Coming into today’s matchup vs. the Suns, the Lakers are 12-9 and have a winning record. They are 7th in the Western Conference and are 3rd in the Pacific division.

The Historicals

The level of competition has been tight in the five most recent games between the Suns and Lakers, with just -1 point per game separating the teams. Los Angeles has the ATS edge in this span at 3-2. The over-under record in these same games is 4-1, with the teams combining for an average of 225 points per game.

Analysis

In their recent matchup, the Suns’ offense ended with 116 points against the Grizzlies. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 43.4% and made nine threes. Leading the team in scoring was Devin Booker with 34 points. Kevin Durant also added 27 points for the Suns.

Coming into the game, the Suns’ defense has held opposing teams to fewer points than the league average in 45.0% of their games. Currently, they are 16th in the NBA at 113.2 points per game allowed.

In the terms of takeaways, Suns are causing 14.2 turnovers per game, ranking 23rd in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 1st in rejections, averaging seven blocked shots each game.

The Lakers offense is coming off a game in which they scored 107 points vs. the Rockets. Overall, their field goal percentage was 44.9% while connecting on eight threes. The team’s top scorer is LeBron James, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 24.4, while Anthony Davis also maintains a PPG average of 22.9 leading up to the game.

The Lakers’ defense is presently ranked 18th in the league, allowing an average of 113.5 points per contest.

In terms of two-point field goal attempts, the Lakers’ defense has allowed a shooting percentage of 52.2% while allowing 36.2% from downtown.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past ten road matchups, Phoenix has an ATS record of 5-5 while averaging 114 per game. The team went 7-3 overall in these games.
• Although Los Angeles has a straight-up record of 1-2 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 112 points per game in these games.
• As the betting underdog, the Suns have an ATS mark of just 4-6 in their last ten games. Phoenix posted a straight-up mark of 2-8 in these matchups.
• In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Lakers have a straight-up record of 8-2 and an ATS mark of 6-4.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

In the Western Conference Quarter Final, I’m rolling with Kevin Durant and the Suns to cover as 1.5-point underdogs. Look for Durant and Booker to be too much to handle for the Lakers. I’m taking the Suns as the slight road dogs.