After losing at home to the Toronto Raptors on Friday, the Phoenix Suns will look to get back in the win column against the Los Angeles Lakers and potentially cover the NBA betting spread. The Lakers are coming off a 13-point win over the Washington Wizards, but have lost six of their last seven beforehand.
Will Phoenix handle its business against Los Angeles at the Footprint Center? Check out our free NBA picks and predictions for the Lakers vs. Suns to find out.
Lakers vs Suns odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Suns opened as 8.5-point favorites in this meeting with the Lakers, but L.A. has started to creep down to an 8-point underdog on most books. The total opened at 230 and is mostly still at that number, but there is one book hanging it out there at 231.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Lakers vs Suns predictions
- Prediction: Lakers +8.5 (-110)
- Prediction: Over 230 (-110)
- Best bet: James Over 2.5 made threes (-110)
Predictions made on 3/13/2022 at 11:24 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Lakers vs Suns game info
• Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Date: Sunday, March 13, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Lakers vs Suns betting preview
Key injuries
Lakers: LeBron James F (Questionable), Talen Horton-Tucker F (Questionable), Anthony Davis F (Out), Kendrick Nunn G (Out).
Suns: Chris Paul G (Out), Cameron Johnson F (Out), Frank Kaminsky C (Out), Dario Saric F (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Suns are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Suns.
Lakers vs Suns picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
The Suns should be able to come away with a win in this game, as they’ll be a lot more focused after having lost to the Raptors at home on Friday. They simply execute at a much higher level than Los Angeles does, even with Paul out of the lineup.
This spread is, however, a bit too high to make it advisable to back the home team. Phoenix occasionally has stretches in which the team loses focus against inferior opponents, and anything like that will make it hard for it to cover such a large number.
LeBron James also happens to be playing out of his mind right now, as he is coming off a game in which he had 50 points, seven rebounds, and six assists against the Wizards. James has now had two games in which he has reached the 50-point mark in the last week, and is clearly being aggressive in an effort to win a scoring title this season.
And given how bad Los Angeles has been, it’s hard to blame The King. However, that aggression is actually what was missing when these teams met in the playoffs last year. If he’s going all out as a scorer, he should be able to keep his team from losing by double digits in this spot.
The Suns also happen to be just 17-33 against the spread in home games against opponents that allow a shooting percentage of at least 46.0% under head coach Monty Williams.
They have won those games by an average of only 5.1 points per game, which just goes to show you how they can occasionally struggle with weak opponents.
Prediction: Lakers +8.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Over has hit in four of the last five games the Lakers have played and they are giving up a ton of points right now. Los Angeles’ defense is a complete nightmare, which means Phoenix’s high-level offense should have no trouble putting up a lot of points in this one.
Fortunately for Over bettors, L.A. is also capable of putting up a big number, as long as LeBron is on the right side of questionable here.
Since the start of last season, the Over is actually 13-4 when Phoenix has played in games with a total of 230 or higher. The average total points scored in those contests was 239.1 points per game.
That just goes to show you that this team is capable of winning in a lot of different ways, and a high-scoring shootout is one of them.
Prediction: Over 230 (-110)
Best bet
LeBron has hit at least three triples in seven of the last 11 games he’s played, and he’s going to continue to fire away with his eyes set on the scoring title. The 37-year-old is taking a career-high 7.9 threes per game this season and is shooting a solid 35.5% from the outside on those attempts.
The superstar now faces a Suns team that has some serious rim protectors in the paint, as Deandre Ayton gets up and contests a lot of shots, while JaVale McGee is one of the better shot blockers in the league.
With that in mind, look for LeBron to attack the rim even less than usual in this one, which means he’s a good bet to jack up a lot of 3-point attempts. Also, if his team is going to come close to competing in this one, it’ll be on his shoulders. That pressure could lead to him shooting even more than usual.
Pick: LeBron James Over 2.5 made threes (-110)
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