Tipping off in the late portion of the eight-game NBA slate, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Phoenix Suns.
Both of these teams have exceeded their respective expectations in the early portion of the season. This will be the second matchup between the two Western Conference opponents. During the first game, which took place on Dec. 1, the Suns produced a 125-108 victory. This was just the fifth game back for LeBron James and the first loss of the season that he was active for.
The Lakers enter as 1.5-point favorites and hold -115 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Suns are -105 underdogs with the game total set at 231.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Sunday night matchup.
Lakers vs. Suns Preview
The Lakers are 17-7 and sit in fifth place in the Western Conference. Los Angeles has dropped three of its last five, but ripped off a seven-game winning streak before this. It is 15-9 against the spread this season, with the over cashing in 17 of its 24 games.
Luka Doncic headlines the production for Los Angeles, putting forth an NBA-leading 35 points per game along with 9.0 assists and 9.0 rebounds. Austin Reaves has scaled up his production in a major way this season, adding a career-best 27.8 points, 6.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. He remains sidelined with a calf strain, which leaves some notable shoes to fill for the rest of the roster. James is not the clear top-five player in the league anymore, but he is still averaging 16.5 points, 7.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds through eight games. Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes round out most of the notable depth.
The Lakers have leaned on their high-powered offense for success. Los Angeles ranks 10th in the league in scoring at 118.3 points per game, ranks sixth in offensive rating, and is producing the second-best field goal percentage as a team. Defense has been a different story. The Lakers rank 18th in opponents’ points per game, 21st in defensive rating, 22nd in opponents’ field goal percentage and 27th in opponents’ three-point percentage.
The Suns are off to a 14-11 start and currently hold the seventh seed in the Western Conference. They are also looking to dig themselves out of a rut, dropping five of their last eight games. Phoenix is 16-9 against the spread this season, and the under has hit in 13 of its 25 games.
Devin Booker is averaging 25 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds. Dillon Brooks has helped set the tone and identity of this Phoenix team, averaging 21.7 points and 3.1 rebounds. Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and Collin Gillespie have been dominant floor spacers, each shooting 39.9% from beyond the three-point arc on high volume. Mark Williams has also done a nice job on the interior, adding 13 points and 8.4 rebounds, while Ryan Dunn, Jordan Goodwin, and Oso Ighodaro round out most of the depth. Jalen Green remains sidelined with his hamstring injury, while both Booker and Brooks are questionable for tonight.
Phoenix has shifted its identity in a major way this season and landed on a defense-first approach. It is holding opponents to 114.4 points per game, which ranks ninth in the NBA. It also ranks 16th in defensive rating. Offensively, the Suns are scoring 114.8 points per game. This ranks 20th in the NBA, and they are posting the 14th-ranked offensive rating. The Suns rank ninth in the league in three-point attempts per game and 11th in efficiency as a team at 36.6% collectively.
Lakers vs. Suns Prediction, Best Bet
This is a clash of two different styles, and injuries will be a factor in this matchup. Both Booker and Brooks remaining questionable makes this a bit difficult to project, but I am backing the Lakers to get the win in this matchup.
Phoenix produced a comfortable victory in the first matchup between these two teams. But the Suns got 33 points from Brooks in this matchup, shot 57% from the field as a team, 44% from beyond the three-point arc, and forced Doncic to turn the ball over nine times. This feels like a difficult recipe to replicate. Phoenix took a 14-point lead into halftime and did not look back from that point on.
Doncic’s numbers have been off the charts all season, but there have been some ups and downs in what his impact has felt like. Any way you slice it, he will clearly be the top player on the floor for this matchup.
Expect there to be no clear answer for the Lakers’ star duo on this Suns roster, especially with Brooks potentially unavailable or limited. Count on the Lakers’ offense to push the scoring to a level that the Suns cannot match.
