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There are five games on the NBA schedule for Thursday, including the Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers. It's the fourth and penultimate meeting between the two teams this season, with the Lakers winning the first three. Let's look at the Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers preview, prediction and betting tips.
The Lakers have dominated the matchup against the Suns this season, winning five straight since March 22, 2023. They last faced each other in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament on Dec. 5. LeBron James led the way for the Lakers with 31 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and five steals in the 106-103 win.
Thursday's game is the 267th regular-season meeting between the two franchises since Nov. 3, 1968. The Lakers have won five straight, but the Suns won the previous five from Dec. 21, 2021 to Dec. 19, 2022.
Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers preview, prediction, odds and betting tips
The Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers is scheduled for Thursday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The game begins at 10:00 p.m. EST and will be televised on TNT nationally.
Moneyline: Suns (-105) vs Lakers (-115)
Spread: Suns +2 (-115) vs Lakers -2 (-105)
Total (O/U): Suns -105 (o237) vs Lakers -115 (u237)
Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers preview
The Phoenix Suns are struggling for consistency, winning only won five of their last 10 games. The Suns are on a two-game losing skid following back-to-back defeats to the Memphis Grizzlies and LA Clippers.
Meanwhile, the LA Lakers are starting to build some momentum after a terrible string of games. The Lakers are on a two-game winning streak, beating the LA Clippers and Toronto Raptors in two very close encounters.
Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers starting lineups
The Phoenix Suns are looking to stay healthy and possibly build more chemistry with just one player on the injury report. Coach Frank Vogel could finally use a starting lineup of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic.
Meanwhile, the LA Lakers continue to include LeBron James and Anthony Davis in their injury report. It won't matter because James and Davis are expected to be in the starting five along with Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish.
Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers betting tips
Anthony Davis has an over/under of 28.5 points against the Phoenix Suns. Davis is favored to go over 28.5 points but is projected to only score 26.1 points. It might be safer to bet on him to go under considering he has scored 29 points or more twice in his last five games.
LeBron James is favored to go over 26.5 points on Thursday night. James is averaging 25.1 points per game this season but is projected to hit his average against the Suns. "The King" has scored at least 27 points in just two of his last five contests.
Kevin Durant is projected to score 29.6 points against the LA Lakers, which is the same as his season average. Durant is favored to go over 26.5 points, an easy decision to bet on. KD has scored 27 or more points in two of his last three games.
Also Read: Golden State Warriors 5 worst margins of losses in Steph Curry era
Phoenix Suns vs LA Lakers prediction
The LA Lakers are the slight favorites to get the win over the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are on a two-game winning streak and have been playing a bit better than the Suns, who are on a two-game losing skid.
Oddsmakers are predicting the Lakers to win the game and cover the spread. Another prediction is that the total score for the game will go under.
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