Suns vs Lakers Picks & Odds (April 7)
It might be the least glitzy night in Hollywood.
With a playoff berth now locked in, how likely will the Phoenix Suns (45-35, 17-23 road) really want to push themselves when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers (41-39, 21-18 home) on the second night of a back-to-back?
And with LA officially claiming at least a play-in berth in the West’s NBA Playoff Bracket, priority one might be giving ailing stars LeBron James (foot), Anthony Davis (foot) and DeAngelo Russell (foot) a break, after a pair of gruelling games against the Jazz and Clippers in their own back-to-back.
That being said, the Lakers do have something to play for: a chance at a 7-seed, meaning a home date with a win-and-you’re-in scenario, with another game in the back pocket should they lose the first.
This one gets underway Friday (April 7) at 10:30pm ET from cyrpto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. You can watch the game live on NBA TV.
Suns vs Lakers Odds
The NBA odds have the Suns as 6.5-point road ‘dogs, and +220 on the moneyline, an implied win probability of just 31.25%.
The current 4-seed in the West, Phoenix is six games under .500 on the road.
LA, meanwhile, played its way into some postseason action by reeling off seven wins in their last eight before dropping a 125-118 decision to the Clippers last time out.
Odds as of April 6 at DraftKings.
Phoenix Betting Analysis
With a playoff berth clinched from a win over San Antonio last game, the Phoenix Suns made sure they locked themselves in at the 4-spot with a 119-115 win over the Denver Nuggets, giving them a 7-game win streak, the current best run going in basketball.
Kevin Durant poured in 29 points, with seven rebounds and four dimes. Chris Paul had 25 points and six boards, while Deandre Ayton finished with 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks. It was a quiet night for Devin Booker, who shot just 3-for-12 for 15 points and eight assists.
With the West’s top seed clinched, Denver sat Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr.
Even with the Suns having had KD in the lineup for a grand total of eight games since being picked up at the trade deadline, you’ve got to believe they’re not risking any kind of injury to their stars — especially after a freak Durant ankle injury in warmups that cost him 10 games.
Los Angeles Betting Analysis
The Lakers saw their 4-game win streak come to a halt in a 125-118 loss to the Clippers. a game that was essentially for 5th-place in the West.
LeBron James had 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Anthony Davis went for 17 points. 11 boards and two blocks. Austin Reeves added 20 points and four boards.
Because of the magnitude of the game, Davis and James both played the back-to-back after an overtime win in Utah the night before. While ensuring an actual place in the top-six would be great, LA may have actually avoided a tougher opening round matchup with the Suns, taking their chances with the less-playoff savvy Nuggets, Grizzlies or even Kings.
The Lakers have turned themselves into one of the trendy sleeper picks in the 2023 NBA Championship odds after a deadline retool that’s helped them go 16-8 since Feb 11.
Defense has been their anchor: LA is ninth in points allowed (112.4), third in field goal defense (45.7%) ,and fifth in opposition three-point shooting (34.4%). Couple that with the no. 1 4th-quarter scoring offense in the NBA, and the Lakers aren’t exactly an easy playoff foe.
Suns vs Lakers Betting Prediction
Obviously, take the time to see who’s in and who’s out as close to tip as possible, as even one Suns’ star (Devin Booker, anyone?) could shift the balance of this line.
Phoenix has dominated this head-to-head, going 8-2 against the spread in the last 10 games, and 4-1 ATS in the last five at crypto.com Arena. However, they’re average playing on consecutive nights, just 5-6 ATS on that second game.
Can the Lakers capitalize? They are 12-9 ATS with a rest advantage the sixth-best betting mark in the NBA.
LA is also definitely the deeper team, with Phoenix’s depth sacrificed to bring together a dominant, top-heavy roster. LA’s bench is fourth in scoring at 41.1 points per game. Let’s take the Lakers to win out over what should be a depleted Suns lineup.
