The Los Angeles Lakers were dealt a difficult blow on Saturday, as LeBron James suffered a high-ankle sprain and will be out indefinitely. The Lakers now head into an NBA betting matchup with the Suns on Sunday night, with oddsmakers putting Phoenix as a lofty favorite.
Does Los Angeles have a chance at remaining competitive without LeBron? Keep reading our free Lakers vs. Suns picks and predictions to see if the team has what it takes.
L.A. Lakers at Phoenix Suns betting preview
Injuries
Lakers: LeBron James F (Out), Anthony Davis F (Out), Marc Gasol C (Questionable), Jared Dudley F (Out).
Suns: Cameron Johnson F (Probable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Suns are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games as favorites. . Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Suns.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonShorthanded Los Angeles opened as an 8.5-point underdog Saturday night at FanDuel, stretched to +10 this morning and is +9.5 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Not surprisingly, near-double-digit favorite Phoenix is attracting 73 percent of bets and 85 percent of money on the spread. The total moved from 213.5 to 215.5, with 62 percent of bets/64 percent of cash on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Suns occasionally slip up against lesser competition, as evidenced by losses this season to the Kings, Pistons, Wizards and Timberwolves. Phoenix hasn’t shown much of an ability to step on its opponent’s throats as it has blown quite a few big leads, and the Suns just don’t always show a necessary sense of urgency. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis out for this game, a poor showing from Phoenix is about the only chance the Lakers have of keeping this one close.
The issue for Los Angeles is that the Suns just handed a game to the Timberwolves a few nights ago. On Thursday, Phoenix blew a 15-point lead to Minnesota, and the Suns allowed Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards to combine for 83 points. With a team coached by Monty Williams, and led by Chris Paul, you likely aren’t going to see Phoenix turn in another performance like that for a while. It rebounded the next night to cover as 11-point chalk, and as the culture has changed drastically for the Suns, they are far too competitive to look past this Lakers team tonight.
They’re also competing for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference (which the Lakers are in the mix for), so they know the importance of picking up easy wins when they can.
PREDICTION: Suns -9 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Lakers are going to miss LeBron on the defensive end, as he is 16th in the entire league in defensive box plus/minus (according to basketball-reference.com). That's on top of already missing Davis, who is seventh in the NBA in that metric.
The Lakers are now going to need more minutes out of guys like Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker, and that is going to mean that Los Angeles will let up a lot more points, even if the team does play at a slow pace offensively.
The Suns are eighth in the NBA in offensive rating this year, so they should be able to have their way in this one. And while Phoenix is good defensively, the team does tend to play down to its competition at times, so there could be some scoring runs from Los Angeles.
PREDICTION: Over 213 (-110)
Player prop pick
Mikal Bridges has scored 17 points in each of the last two games for the Suns, and he is 7 for 11 from the outside in that span. Bridges now heads into a meeting with a Lakers team that is playing without some of its best defensive players.
Frank Vogel is a very good defensive coach, and he has gotten everybody on this team to buy into his system. However, this is a deflated group and it can only handle so much. Look for the Lakers to struggle to get stops until LeBron returns, and don’t be surprised if Bridges is one of the beneficiaries. He’s been hot from deep and knows when to cut to the basket.
PREDICTION: Mikal Bridges Over 12.5 Points (-122)
Lakers vs Suns betting card
- Suns -8.5 (-110)
- Over 213 (-110)
- Mikal Bridges Over 12.5 Points (-122)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NBA Lakers vs. Suns picks, you could win $56.32 on a $10 bet?
Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on the NBA?
You can bet on NBA odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NBA moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NBA prop odds. Head over to our best sportsbooks for NBA betting in your area.
