The Phoenix Suns head to Hollywood to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night at the Staples Center.
The Suns are the third-worst team in the Western Conference with their 21-32 record and only the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves are worse than them in the conference team standings. Phoenix has dropped five out of its last six outings and they are coming off a home loss to the Denver Nuggets last Saturday night. The Lakers are the best team in the West with their 39-12 record. Los Angeles is just 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played and they are coming off a win over the Golden State Warriors last Saturday.
Can’t Keep the Momentum
After beating the Houston Rockets one game ago, the Phoenix Suns couldn’t keep their momentum. Phoenix went back to their losing ways as they were beaten by the Denver Nuggets 108-117 in Phoenix on Saturday night. The loss was the Suns’ fifth in their last six games played and put them at 21-32 SU on the season.
DeAndre Ayton had a monster game for the Suns with 28 points and 19 rebounds while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 20 points. Devin Booker also scored 21 points in the game but he shot just 5-16 from the field as he was hounded all night long by Torrey Craig. The Suns played without Tyler Johnson, Aron Baynes, Frank Kaminsky III and Dario Saric who were all in sickbay.
The Suns rank 12th in the league in scoring at 112.8 points per game. They are 20th overall in scoring defense at 113.5 points per game allowed this season. Phoenix is 21st in rebounding at 43.7 boards grabbed per contest and they are the 2nd-best passing team in the NBA at 27.0 assists per game.
Barely Got Past the Dubs
The Los Angeles Lakers entered Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center having lost three out of their last five games. The Lakers got a tough challenge from the depleted Warriors and barely got past the Dubs 125-120 in a close contest.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Anthony Davis also had a big game with 27 points and 10 rebounds while Avery Bradley chipped in 21 points including five three-pointers for Los Angeles. The Lakers got 41 points from their bench with Dwight Howard scoring 12 points and Rajon Rondo putting up 11 markers.
Los Angeles ranks 7th in the league in scoring at 114.4 points per game this season. They have the 8th best scoring defense overall at 107.3 points per game allowed. The Lakers are 4th in the NBA in passing at 26.2 assists per game and they are also 7th off the glass with an average of 45.9 rebounds per game.
Who Wins?
Phoenix is 1-5 SU in their last six games played. The Suns are 2-4 SU in their last six games played, 5-15 SU in their last 20 games against the Western Conference, and 1-6 SU in their last seven games played against the Pacific Division. Los Angeles is 15-5 SU in their last 20 games played. The Lakers are 10-5 SU in their last 15 home games against the Western Conference, and 6-1 SU in their last seven games against the Pacific Division. Head to head, the Lakers are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played against the Suns.
The Suns have made strides since residing at the bottom of the Western Conference but still, they have not played consistent basketball this season. Phoenix only has one win in their last six games played although that win came against the Houston Rockets who beat the Lakers one game earlier.
Los Angeles still has the best record in the Western Conference but the longer this season has gone, we’ve seen them lose more times than they did at the start of the year. The Lakers are no longer as dominant as they were at this season’s start and although they are healthy right now, there are plenty of chinks in their armor that opponents can take advantage of.
The Lakers have looked vulnerable as of late but they have defeated the Suns in their first two meetings of the season. Los Angeles is 17-7 at home while the Suns are a decent 11-14 on the road. DeAndre Ayton has been averaging 22.2 points and 13.6 rebounds in his last five outings but he will have all sorts of problems against the Lakers trio of AD, Dwight Howard, and Javale McGee.
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers
Other Bets to Make
The Suns are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played. Phoenix is 1-4 ATS in their last five games played on the road. The Lakers are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games played. Los Angeles is 1-2 ATS in their last three home games, 2-5 ATS in their last seven February games, and 3-10 ATS in their last 13 Monday games. Head to head, the Lakers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Suns.
Suns
+12.5 (-112)
Lakers
-12.5 (-108)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/10/20
The Lakers have outscored the Suns by an average of 8.4 points per game in their last 10 meetings. Los Angeles won by 10 and 8 points, in their first and second encounters of the season, respectively. The Lakers’ frontline should make life hard for Ayton who has been playing well as of late. However, Los Angeles hasn’t covered well this season and has been content to just getting the wins. The Lakers beat the Warriors by only five points the last time out. I think this will be decided by a single-digit margin.
Prediction: Suns +12.5
The total has gone under in six out of the last 10 games played by the Suns. Phoenix has seen the total go under in 10 out of their 17 road games played against the Western Conference. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Lakers. The over is also 4-1 in their last five home games. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last 10 games played between these two teams. The under is also 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams in Los Angeles.
Over
229 (-110)
Under
229 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/10/20
These teams have combined to score an average of 226.2 points per game in their last 10 head to head meetings. Phoenix has played much better since the start of 2020. They have the 7th best defensive rating in the NBA in January. These teams have ranked in the Top 10 in defense over the past 15 games. I like the Lakers and Suns to play a good defensive game here.
Prediction: Under 229