LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Prediction and Betting Tips for 2024 Emirates NBA Cup | Nov. 26    

The LA Lakers' challenging slate of games continues as they hit the road to take on the Phoenix Suns in an Emirates NBA Cup game at the Footprint Center on Tuesday. Call it a payback game as the hosts had the better of the Purple and Gold when both sides met at the start of November. The Suns handed LA a 109-105 defeat snapping their impressive 3-0 start to the season.

Phoenix will be buoyed by the return of superstars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Their All-Stars went down with calf injuries causing the Suns to slip and slip badly losing five games in a row. They last won on Nov. 12 against the Utah Jazz but dropped games against quality sides in Durant and Beal's absence. Their lack of depth and defensive issues were laid bare as the Suns were torched 1-3 on the road, and twice in a row at home.

The Lakers are hurting. Their Week 5 ended on a dour note with a heartbreak one-point loss to the Orlando Magic. The Denver Nuggets further compounded their woes handing them a 127-102 loss soon after to extend their dominance against LA 13-1. It doesn't help their case that they play a team with its bonafide superstars returning.

JJ Redick's response to losses was first seen when he took it upon himself not to come up with a defensive scheme to contain Durant. The 2x NBA champion poured 30 points as LA had no answers to his sniping. Limiting the Suns 'Big 3's' production will be the task for the Lakers as they look to go 3-0 in their NBA Cup campaign.

This will be the third of the four slated matchups between these two. They have split the series so far, and the Lakers safe to say, are better-placed in the West than the Suns who went off boil with their losing streak. All eyes will also be on LeBron James after his poor outing against Phoenix last time.

The 4x NBA champion later stated he was battling an illness explaining why he wasn't his usual self. The priority for both units will be to get back to winning ways, making the Durant vs James showdown a potential humdinger on Tuesday.

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LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Preview, predicted starting lineups, betting tips, odds, and prediction

The LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns matchup tips off at 10 pm ET. The game will be televised on TNT with local coverage on SportsNet LA. The clash can be streamed live on Max (regional restrictions may apply) and on the NBA app with a subscription to the NBA League Pass.

Here are the odds as listed at the time of writing.

Teams	Spread	Total (o/u)	Moneyline
LA Lakers	+3.5	o235.5 (-110)	+136
Phoenix Suns	-3.5	u235.5 (-110)	-162

Note: Odds are subject to change closer to tip-off.

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LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Preview

The objective for the Suns is two-fold on Tuesday. Not only do they need a win to restore some parity to their fledgling campaign, but they also need that W to stay alive in the NBA Cup. They are 1-1 and placed fourth in West Group B. They have to beat LA by a big margin if possible to remain in contention via point difference. That's a lot of pressure on two of their stars to shake off their injury layoff rust and get into action straight away.

Durant looked in pristine form, averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game before going down with the calf strain. Beal averaged 17.8 points per game and his return will add that much-needed offensive spark for the Suns. The question will be if the duo can replicate that kind of form against a Lakers unit that's played good basketball despite their two consecutive losses.

LA has a potent offense. They prop up 117.4 points per every 100 possessions, taking fourth place in the league in their offense. The major drawback is their 26th-placed defense that allows their opponents an estimated 117.9 points. Their efforts have been simply awful on that end and is an area that teams that have beaten them have capitalized on.

Like the LA Lakers, the Suns have a poor defensive rating as well, conceding 116.7 points per every 100 possessions. Their offense took a nosedive with the string of losses can now improve with Durant's return.

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LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Predicted Starting Lineups

The Lakers have listed Anthony Davis (heel) as probable. Bronny James (heel) is ruled out, as are Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee). Expect them to start the same lineup as their last game.

Position	Player
PG	Austin Reaves
SG	Cam Reddish
SF	Rui Hachimura
PF	LeBron James
C	Anthony Davis

The Suns have listed Durant and Beal (calf strains) as probable, and both players are expected to play against Phoenix.

Position	Player
PG	Tyus Jones
SG	Devin Booker
SF	Bradley Beal
PF	Kevin Durant
C	Jusuf Nurkic

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LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Betting Tips

LeBron James comes into the contest with an o/u of -105/-118 on points. Austin Reaves is -115/-130 on points. Anthony Davis is -114/-120 on points and rebounds. Devin Booker is one to watch out for the Suns with an o/u of -109/-111. Kevin Durant is -120/-113 on points and boards.

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LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Prediction

The LA Lakers may have lost games as well, but they still have two of their best players in good touch. Anthony Davis and LeBron James are not the kind of stars that allow teams to beat them and will be keen on putting up big numbers. Expect the bench to add some teeth to the offense and get past Kevin Durant and Co. Take a close win for the Lakers on Tuesday.