Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 10/26/2023 Preview and Pick
Game: Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023
Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA
TV: Spectrum Sportsnet
Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (+2)
Crypto.com Arena is where the Los Angeles Lakers (43-39 last year) will compete against the Phoenix Suns (45-37 last season) on Thursday. Phoenix opens this contest as 2-point dogs from oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 229.
The Suns took the court against the Warriors and took home the win by a score of 108-104 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Suns finished with 22 and the Warriors finished the game with 23 fouls. They also converted 10 out of their 43 tries from 3-point land. Golden State finished the game at 78.6% at the free throw line by burying 22 of their 28 shots. Furthermore, Golden State totaled 49 rebounds (18 offensive, 31 defensive) and added 7 blocked shots. Golden State earned 19 assists and had 11 steals for the game. In terms of the defense, Phoenix allowed the other team to go 35.6% from the field on 36 out of 101 shooting. They also recorded 23 assists for the game while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 5 steals. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 60 with 17 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Suns knocked down 13 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 76.5%. Phoenix finished the game having earned a 44.2% FG percentage (42 of 95) and made 11 out of their 33 shots from distance.
Devin Booker is one guy who was a major factor for this contest. Booker finished the game at 61.9% from the floor and distributed 8 assists. He played for 37 minutes played and also grabbed 6 rebounds. He ended up with 32 points on 13 of 21 shooting.
Phoenix comes into this contest after finishing with a record of 45-37 last season. They coughed up possession 13.5 times per game and as a group committed 21.2 fouls per contest. As a team, Phoenix grabbed 44.2 boards per contest and earned 2,235 dimes last season, which was 4th in basketball in terms of passing. The Suns hit on 37.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (1,001 of 2,674) and 79.3% from the charity stripe. They averaged 113.6 pts per game (17th in the league) while connecting on 46.7% from the field.
When they were on defense, the Suns were able to force 14.4 turnovers every game while drawing 19.9 personal fouls. They were ranked 3rd in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,915 surrendered last season. The Suns defense gave up and opponent field goal percentage of 46.6% (3,280 of 7,044) and they conceded 42.9 boards per contest as a squad. They surrendered 35.7% on 3-point attempts and they were 6th in the league in points per game allowed (111.6).
For their last game, the Lakers took a defeat with a final score of 119-107 when they faced the Nuggets. When discussing team rebounding, Los Angeles permitted Denver to get 42 in total (9 on the offensive side). They finished 41.2% from 3-point land via 14 of 34 and finished the game at 9 out of 12 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Lakers allowed the Nuggets to knock down 48 of 91 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.7% for this contest. Overall, the Lakers went 41 out of 90 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.6%. Pertaining to shots from 3-point land, Los Angeles buried 10 out of their 29 attempts (34.5%). They were able to knock down 15 of those for a percentage of 75.0%. The Nuggets earned 15 personal fouls for this contest which got the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 20 shots. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while recording 5 steals in this contest. The Lakers pulled down 31 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards for a total of 44 for the game.
LeBron James ended up being a factor for the Lakers in the game. James recorded 21 points in his 29 mins of playing time and accounted for 5 assists for the matchup. He made 10 of 16 for the contest giving him a rate of 62.5%, and totaled 8 rebounds.
Los Angeles had a win-loss mark of 43-39 last season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Lakers shot 48.2% from the floor, which had them ranked 10th in basketball. Los Angeles totaled 9,608 points last season (117.2 per game) and they averaged 45.7 boards per contest. They dished out assists 25.3 times per game (15th in the NBA) and they turned it over 14.1 times per contest. The Lakers were responsible for committing 17.9 fouls every game and they hit 77.5% from the free throw line.
The Lakers on the defensive side of the court were 20th in basketball in PPG given up with 116.6. They forced their opponents into 12.6 turnovers per game and allowed teams to shoot 46.9% from the floor (10th in the league). The Los Angeles defense allowed 34.4% on shots from 3-point land (1,028 of 2,991) and opponents knocked down 77.3% of their free throw shots. They concede 25.7 dimes and 44.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 15th and 25th in the NBA.
Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles (-2)
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