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The LA Lakers visit the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon as the teams battle it out for one final time in the 2023-24 NBA regular season. The conference rivals have met four times before, with the Lakers winning the season series 3-1. However, the upcoming clash won't be taken for granted by either team, as every win counts with playoff seedings up for grabs.
The Lakers are ninth in the West with a 31-27 record, staring at the possibility of another play-in tournament appearance if they don't string together wins consistently. Meanwhile, the Suns are 33-24, eighth in the standings, also staring at a realistic chance of finishing outside the top six.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns preview, betting tips, odds and prediction
ABC will televise the LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns game along with local operators Spectrum SportsNet and Arizona's Family 3TV / Arizona's Family Sports. NBA fans abroad can watch live action online via NBA League Pass.
Moneyline: Lakers +145, Suns -175
Spread: Lakers +4 (-110), Suns -4 (-110)
Total (o/u): Lakers o237.5 (-110), Warriors u237.5 (-110)
Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns preview
The LA Lakers enter this matchup with a 1-1 start after the 2024 All-Star Break. The Lakers lost 128-110 to the Golden State Warriors without LeBron James in their first game back. They hung on until the first half but were significantly outplayed the rest of the way.
There's not much the Lakers could do with several absentees during that game. LA bounced back on the second night of the back-to-back against the lowly San Antonio Spurs. LeBron returned with a 30-point and nine-assist effort to guide the Lakers to a 123-118 win.
D'Angelo Russell (22 points), Austin Reaves (10 points) and Rui Hachimura (17 points) also overcame their poor outing against the Warriors with solid efforts. LA thrived off its sizzling-hot offense. It will need a similar effort on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns are off to a rough start after the All-Star break, conceding back-to-back losses against the Dallas Mavericks (123-113) and Houston Rockets (114-110). They are again left with only two of their three stars on the floor, with Bradley Beal out with a hamstring injury.
The Suns need to initiate their halfcourt offense better to beat the Lakers. LA has the personnel to cover two stars on defense, so the others need to be more involved. Defensively, Phoenix must keep the Lakers out of the paint and foul less to not give them a significant advantage late in the game.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns starting lineups
PG - D'Angelo Russell, SG - Austin Reaves, SF - LeBron James, PF - Rui Hachimura, C - Anthony Davis
PG - Devin Booker, SG - Grayson Allen, SF - Eric Gordon, PF - Kevin Durant, C - Jusuf Nurkic
Editor's note: The lineups could change close to the game. The lineups listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns betting tips
Kevin Durant is favored to score over 29.5 points. He's averaged 27.3 points per game in his last 10 games. Durant hasn't covered his points total in five consecutive games. Taking the under on it seems like the ideal bet.
His teammate Devin Booker is also favored to go over 29.5 points. He's averaged 24.0 ppg in his past 10 games. Booker has covered his total once in his last four outings. With Bradley Beal out and the burden of playmaking on Booker's shoulders, expect him to score under 29 points.
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis is expected to tally over 38.5 points+rebounds. He's hit the over on that total in three of his past four games. Considering his form, Davis could cover that total against the Suns.
His co-star, LeBron James, is favored to score under 30.5 points. He had 30 in his last game, but LeBron hasn't tallied 30 points in consecutive games more than twice this season. Going under on his points total could be profitable.
LA Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns predictions
The Suns are -4 favorites with a -175 money line to beat the Lakers per the oddsmakers. Phoenix got the better of the Lakers the last time the teams faced. The Lakers are without Jarred Vanderbilt in this game, who was critical in making things tough on Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
Phoenix also has a homecourt advantage in this game. It is 18-11 at home, while LA is 11-18 away.
